


Ace Combat: Stricken Soul

by Musashi311



Category: Ace Combat
Genre: Ace Combat - Freeform, Ace Combat 7, Air Force, Combat, Dogfights, F/M, Friendship, Love Confessions, Mobius One - Freeform, Original Character(s), Osea, POV Original Character, Plane Crashes, War, aces, battles, erusea, lighthouse war, planes, semi-canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 15:32:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 30,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18968116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musashi311/pseuds/Musashi311
Summary: This story follows the perspective of a young Erusean fighter pilot from his flight training to when he joins the Erusean Air and Space Administration's Sol Squadron and takes part in his first major conflict the Lighthouse War. ((Spoilers for AC7))





	1. Prologue

**5/14/2013 Roca Roja, Southern Usea**

* * *

Luca climbed into his F-14A and began the startup procedures. With the engines spooled up, he checked the gauges to make sure everything was in the green before taxing to the runway. It felt like it was just yesterday when Luca had passed the aptitude test to become a pilot and was conscripted into the Erusean Air Force which meant that he had to leave his hometown of Farbanti. The training process was difficult but he finally made it through and in order to keep his skills up, he was taking part in yet another target practice exercise. But this time he and the pilots he flew with were being watched by the EASA's 68th Experimental Squadron.

"Red 6 requesting permission for take off," Luca said.

The Control Tower crackled over the radio, "Red 6 you are cleared for take off."

Luca gently applied full throttle and the Tomcat gradually picked up speed. With enough speed, he pulled the stick and gained altitude and awaited the Control Tower's instructions along with the other pilots.

"Okay, Red 6. You may have gotten your wings but you're still a rookie. The EASA is here too so be sure to make a good first impression. To keep things simple we're going to launch some X-45's."

"Simple...yeah okay," Luca mumbled to himself while adjusting his oxygen mask.

"Tally ho we've got bandits!" Shouted an allied pilot.

"Copy that Red 2." Red 6 said.

Luca spotted the first drone on radar and switched to his missiles. When he was within range he locked onto the drone and pressed the trigger the missile flying off the rail.

"Red 6, fox two!"

The first drone was easy because it was flying straight and level but the next ones would prove to be more of a challenge as it would be flying much more aggressively and mimicking the moves of an actual fighter pilot in combat.

"Scratch one, drone!" Red 6 said.

"Damn, these suckers are maneuvering like actual fighter planes!" Red 5 said.

"No shit Sherlock!" Said the flight lead.

Luca ignored the arguing as he got onto the sixes of three more drones drone and switched to the Tomcat's Sidewinders. The drones quickly adapted to his tactics and broke formation. He stuck to the lead drone which began to maneuver as aggressively as possible in its best efforts to shake him off. The F-14A's didn't make staying on target any easier with its slow refresh rate. Luca managed to finally line the pipper up with the target.

As he was about to fire a Sidewinder another pilot swooped in for the kill with his MiG-21 which would've lead to a friendly fire incident if he pressed the trigger. Annoyed by the recklessness of the Fishbed pilot he stuck with the MiG-21 fighting with him for the drone kill.

"That asshole cut me off!" Luca said as he flipped the Fishbed pilot the bird.

"You snooze you lose!" Said the Fishbed pilot.

"Then fire or clear already, Jackass!" Luca snapped back. 

"Just shut up and gimme ten more seconds, asshole!"

"Red 3 this is Red 1, hurry it up...Red 6 is getting impatient! Either take the shot or bug out!" The flight lead ordered.

"Too close for missiles, switching to guns! Just need five more seconds!" Red 3 said, his hands beginning to shake as he lined up for a cannon shot. 

Red 3 tried to stick with the target until he eventually gave in and chose to bug out which put Luca's F-14 into the path of the Fishbed's jet wash. Suddenly the left engine stalled followed by the right one and the Tomcat began to yaw violently to the left and force itself into a flat spin.

“Mayday mayday, Red 6 is in trouble! He’s in a flat spin!" Red 3 said.

"I think I can restart them! I have enough altitude!" Luca said.

"Punch out, Red 6!" The Control Tower ordered.

"I have enough altitude! I can do this!"

 

The F-14 continued to plummet back to earth and in the Tomcat flat spins were almost impossible to escape. Luca switched the Tomcat's intake ramps to their stowed position and with just seven thousand feet left to spare he swept the wings back which halted the spin. He then pointed the nose down and began the process to relight the engines by performing a windmill start. When the Tomcat finally approached the speed for engine restart, Luca hit the air start switch and the plane began to make a series of loud noises like an old car backfiring. With just a few thousand feet to spare the systems had finally come back online and he was able to finally restart the right engine and then move on to restarting the left.

Now with the engines restarted he finally recovered with just a thousand feet indicated on the altimeter and gently eased back on the stick regaining altitude and breathing a sigh of relief and rejoining formation with his flight lead.

"Well, I'll be damned..." The flight lead said, "To think that a Rookie would be able to recover an F-14 from a flat spin and restart its engines to boot."

"Kid was born to fly. I think that pilot might just be EASA material." Said another voice on the radio.

* * *

Luca arrived back at base exhausted from the ordeal and as he disembarked from his Tomcat he actually fell from his plane. While removing his helmet a caucasian man with blonde hair extended his hand to him to help him up, Luca of course obliging.

He patted Luca on the back, congratulating him for his feat which took him by surprise. "That was some impressive flying out there for a rookie pilot. Do you have a moment?"

"I-I guess I do," Luca said while smacking his lips.

"Heh...I guess a scare like that made you thirsty. Here you go, kid. By the way...my name's Wit." Wit said as he handed Luca a water bottle.

"So what brings you here to this wonderful barren oasis of rock and sand? I wish I was back home right about now..."

"Well I'm here looking for a new pilot...the Erusean Air and Space Administration's 68th Experimental Squadron...or Sol Squadron as it's better known needs a sixth pilot and after pulling your record it says that you've scored quite well amongst your peers during your initial training. That's pretty impressive...and your father was also a member of Yellow Squadron during the Continental War."

"I try to do the best that I can sir because that's all I can do because I know that one day I'm going to leave this earth. Anyway, why are you even talking to a rookie like me? Aren't there more experienced candidates for your squadron? I've only been with the EAF for like a year. As for my father...yes, he was a Yellow but he's long gone, died during the war." Luca sighed as he poured some of the water on his head.

"Well...not many rookies can do what you just did. I mean that was some Razgriz level witchcraft right there. Any other pilot in your situation would've thrown in the towel and bailed out but no you decided to try and recover the plane and you succeeded. You should consider this offer, Alessio. It puts you closer to home with your family...wouldn't you like that?"

"Yes sir...I mean I just got married not too long ago. She's a really nice girl..." Luca sighed.

Wit placed his hand on Luca's shoulder, "Think it over then, kid...opportunities like this don't come every day."

"I'll do it..." Luca said as Wit was about to turn around, "An opportunity like this is something that I know I'll regret if I pass it up and I want to further my career...make my wife proud too."

"Good answer, kid...you're outta here first thing tomorrow.".

"Wait I have questions!" Luca said.

"Ask them then."

"What will I do and what's the purpose of this squadron?"

"I can't reveal further information until you arrive at Farbanti. But what I can tell you is that you will take on the role as more of a test pilot and chances are you may see combat if necessary." Wit replied.

"Can't wait then. I look forward to meeting the rest of the team when I get back home." Luca saluted Wit.

* * *

Excited about the opportunity he had been given, Luca rushed to his room and picked up his phone to call his wife. He went through the operator and waited patiently until finally there was a signal on the other line.

"Hello?" A soft, sweet voice said over the phone.

"Hey, Elisa!"

"Luca, baby! I'm so glad you called! How are things over there?" She asked

"Things are great...I just got this amazing opportunity from a pilot from the EASA!"

"Really!? Oh my gosh can you tell me about it!?" She asked.

"The pilot claims that he was evaluating my fellow pilots and I. I stood out to him because of a little incident.." he sighed.

"What happened?" Elisa's tone turned from one of excitement to concern.

"Some asshole decided to jump in front of me and I flew into his jet wash just like in that movie...my engines stalled out and I ended up in a flat spin but I was able to recover and land. Man, the F-14A has some terrible engines..." He sighed, "But I guess some good came out of this situation and I'm alive and the best part is that I'll be home soon."

"I'm glad you're okay...I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I look forward to seeing you, Luca...come back safe. When you get back we have to think of a name for our baby too." Elisa giggled. "I love you.."

"You know it!" Luca chuckled. "I love you too, Elisa..forever and always. I'm beyond grateful that my life was able to turn out like this so here's to an amazing future together."

Elisa giggled and sighed happily, "I look forward to it too. I can't wait to have you back home...neither can our daughter. Oh and Luca..I'm so proud of you. I still remember the promise you made when we were kids and the fact that you kept it after all these years...I knew I made the right choice by marrying you."

"I'm glad I could make you proud...and things are only going to get better." He said, "I gotta go now. I'll see you soon."

Luca blew a kiss and hung up the phone. He then kicked off his shoes and plopped down on his bed thinking about what this new path had in store.


	2. Here comes the storm

**5/14/19 Farbanti, Erusea**

Six years later. Luca had achieved the rank of Captain and was now a full-fledged member of Sol Squadron with nearly fifteen-hundred flight hours under his belt at the age of twenty-four. He and his wife also had their first child and were living a life that he never would've dreamed to be possible just a few years ago.

To kill some time between military exercises Luca would spend some time in the garage tinkering with his 1968 Dodge Charger that his dad had left him after he died during the Continental war when he was just a child. While he was tuning the carburetor he heard the door opening and closing followed by the pitter patter of his daughter's feet as she scurried into the garage.

"Daddy. Mama wants you to come inside. She really sounds worried." Aria said as she hugged him.

"I'll be right there in a bit, kiddo." He chuckled.

"Okay! I love you Daddy!" Aria replied before going back into the house.

Luca put the air cleaner back onto the carburetor and closed the hood. He walked into the house and breathed a sigh of relief as the air conditioning flowed onto his light brown skin before walking into the kitchen to wash the grease and dirt off of his hands. He saw his wife holding an envelope in her hands.

"So what's going on, Elisa? Are you okay?" Luca asked as he reached for a napkin.

"While you were working on your car...I went to check the mail and I found this letter from the EASA." Before she handed the letter to him she hugged him tightly fearing what it might contain.

Luca held Elisa in his arms and caressed her long black hair and kissed her forehead to try and comfort her. He then thought of something to say until he finally remembered a memory from when they first met the Erusean king and his daughter Rosa.

"Remember when I first joined Sol Squadron? You were so damn proud of me...Aria here was just a little baby too." He pat their daughter's head, "We even met Princess D'Elise when she was what...thirteen or fourteen? It was a family day...and what a fun event it was. You and I were so excited to meet the Princess and I myself was shocked to find out that someone like her would like my Charger even though it was still in primer. I doubt that girl even has a single war mongering bone in her body." Luca chuckled and kissed Elisa again.

"Yeah..I remember. She begged her father to ask you if she could sit in it...and how excited she was when you actually let her start it. Then again aside from singing, she seemed to kinda like mechanical things I guess."

"Yeah...Seymour was not happy. Turn that Osean piece of shit off! It sounds like a dying pig! And put a muffler on it too before we all choke to death!" Luca said, doing an impression of Sol 3.

While Elisa and Luca continued to reminisce about their memories he opened the letter and his heart skipped a beat.

"What is it, daddy?" Aria asked.

"The Erusean military by order of the King is being placed on high alert status effective immediately. All pilots are to report to their Squadron headquarters and await further orders..." He said.

"A-Are we going to war, Luca?" Elisa asked.

"I don't know. Please keep your eyes glued to the television and if they give an evacuation order then only pack the things that you need for you and Aria and leave immediately don't even look back." He cupped her cheeks and looked deep into her emerald green eyes, "Please if you have to evacuate then go and don't worry about me...I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of you."

"Luca...how do you feel about all this? Can you at least tell me that?" Elisa placed her hand on his shoulder.

"All I can tell you is that when I read and listen to what the people of Erusea...hell the whole Usean continent have to say about the Space Elevator and Osea. All I can say is that many aren't happy. It feels like Osea is trying to assert itself as the world police and it pisses people off." He sighed, "Because when you try to assert your dominance around the world like that some people tend to see you as a bully rather than someone doing things out of compassion. I need to get going now."

* * *

After changing into his flight suit, Luca kissed his wife and child and hugged them both tightly. While he was used to deploying for exercises before this time he didn't want to let go. In the back of his mind, he felt that something was going to happen but he tried to forget about and focus on the positive..maybe this was just a false alarm.

"Goodbye you two...be good to your mom, Aria." Luca smiled and hugged his daughter tightly.

"I will daddy! Have fun flying up there and say hello to Mr. Shilage!" Aria replied while holding the SU-30 model her father had given her.

"Be safe, okay?" Elisa said as she kissed Luca on his cheek.

"Will do, my dear." He smiled but as he was about to get into his car, his wife stopped him.

"Wait, Luca!" Elisa said, "I want you to take this with you...it'll keep you safe if something does happen." Elisa removed her gold oval shaped locket necklace and handed it to him. The locket contained a small picture of the three of them together which almost brought a tear to his eye.

After saying his goodbyes, Luca entered his Light Blue '68 Charger and started it. The lopey idle from the stroked 440 big block was like music to his ears but while he loved cars his real passion was up there in the sky. With the car warmed up, he selected Death by White Lies to play on his phone and put the car into first gear and left the driveway, waving to his family one last time before driving off into the distance.

His fingers gently drummed on the wooden steering wheel to the bass and guitars from the music as he got into the rhythm. He then began to sing along as he cruised down the highway to the airbase. He took the Silver Bridge and was able to catch a glimpse of the Municipal district which had been struck and flooded by one of the fragments from the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid in 1999. He hoped that someday the district could be drained and restored to its former glory and that Farbanti could be whole again.

With the windows down, Luca hung his hand outside the window and played with the air flow. He continued to think about what would happen once he arrived at the base and what life had in store if Erusea was really going to go to war but at the same time maybe he thought it was just another drill and he'd be taking part in some training exercises and then returning home to his family.

* * *

Luca arrived at the front gate and presented his military ID to the guard. The guard looked at his ID card and then opened the front gate and waved him through. He kept on driving until he arrived at a small parking lot near the main hangar and got out of his car. He walked into the ready room where Mihaly, Wit, Seymour, Hermann, and Roald were already waiting to be briefed on the situation at hand.

"So finally you arrive! Did that Osean rust bucket of yours break down on you? Why do you even have that piece of junk anyway?" Seymour asked.

"Oh haha very funny." Luca rolled his eyes as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Knock it off, Seymour..." Mihaly said, grumpy as ever. "Erusean Army Special Forces have taken the International Space Elevator in Gunther Bay. I am in no way surprised by this considering how the Erusean people feel about this Osean monument. Many feel that Osea is trying to take over the world or spread their influence through shady means. To make things worse the former president was supposedly present when the elevator was seized so it's only a matter of time until the Osean Defense Forces retaliate."

Luca raised his hand in order to ask a question, Mihaly acknowledging the young pilot by pointing to him. 

"Yes, Sol 6?"

"Will I be able to warn my family?" Luca asked.

"Sadly not...they'll have to watch the news reports as they broadcast, the information here is classified. Right now this is all I have for you boys. Await further orders, dismissed." Mihaly saluted the pilots.

Luca headed to the hangar with the rest of his squadmates and began inspecting their aircraft. He was surprised to find an ADFX-01 Morgan among the SU-30s in a matching paint scheme.

"Hey uhh crew chief, what's a Morgan doing here?" Luca asked.

"Oh...that's your new bird, kid. Ain't she a beauty? Wit and Mihaly requested it. She's got low flight hours but unfortunately, she doesn't have all of her special weapons available yet except for the IEWS. When the TLS and MPBM arrive though...watch out." The crew chief chuckled and patted Luca's back.

"Okay that's nice and all but why would Mihaly of all people request this?"

"Because for some strange reason Wit and Mihaly think you have potential!" Seymour added while making an imaginary rainbow with his hands.

"Lay off the kid, Seymour!" Hermann added in Luca's defense, "At the end of the day Alessio is on our side..and like it or not the kid has proven to be pretty capable despite how young he is."

"As far as I see it...kid's a natural." Mihaly said, "But exercises are nothing like real combat so we'll see how you really do. In actual battle you either fight or your freeze...but you'll never know how you'll react until you enter your first battle remember that."

After giving his advice Mihaly went back to looking over the intel he was given. Luca continued inspecting his ADFX-01 and was impressed by the Belkan engineering, the panels were tight and the plane looked as if it was factory fresh despite being an older design. As he wrapped up the inspection, someone else tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see that it was Sol 4.

 

"Hey..uh, I was speaking to Wit earlier. If you're okay with me asking...was it true that your dad was apart of the 156th Tactical Fighter Wing?"

 

"Yes...my dad was a Yellow...Yellow 6 to be exact. Looks like thats our lucky number, 6." Luca chuckled, "My dad was there for the defense of Stonehenge and the defense of Farbanti..he was killed during Isaf's siege. Supposedly the man responsible for shooting him down was that Ribbon Fighter...the pilot that we've all heard legends about time and time again. My father was the whole reason I wanted to become a fighter pilot...where ever he is now, I hope he's happy. "

 

"Mobius One...i've heard the stories. I'm sure you're doing your dad proud, kid." Sol 4 laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder.


	3. Farbanti Defense

5/15/2019

* * *

Sol 6 was performing the final preflight checks on his Morgan when the air raid sirens sounded. In retaliation for the drone strikes and capture of the Space Elevator. The Osean Maritime Defense Forces had deployed their aircraft carrier the Kestrel II to launch a retaliatory strike on the Erusean capital.  
He quickly climbed the boarding ladder and initiated the startup procedures and scrambled to the runway. There was no time to waste, the Kestrel II had launched her aircraft and they had begun bombing the city.

Luca pressed the mic button on the flight stick, "Tower this is Sol 6, requesting take off clearance." He said.

"Sol 6 you're cleared for take off! Hurry up and get up there!"

Luca applied full power and was thrown into the seat as the Morgan's two powerful WWX-GD-400 engines increased thrust and rocketed the massive jet forward. With enough speed, he pulled the stick back and gained altitude. The ADFX-01 despite being the predecessor to the ADF-01 Falken was still a massive cut above his old F-14A when it came to performance and maneuverability despite being a larger aircraft and he no longer had to worry about compressor stalls either.

"All planes this is AWACS Roxman. We have several Osean fighters heading into Farbanti Airspace...you are cleared to engage. Defend the city from the enemy fighters and send their aircraft carrier to the bottom of the sea!"

Luca spotted several Osean fighters on the radar, F-35C's and F-18F's. The Osean fighters acquired a lock first and fired their missiles forcing him to switch on the IEWS. The countermeasure worked and the missiles lost their lock and missed him completely. Luca's hands began to shake as he went into the merge with the lead F-35 and turned to engage it.  
Luca got onto the F-35's six and locked onto it, "Sol 6, fox two!" He said as he fired a missile at the bandit. 

"Bandit down! Good job, Sol 6!" AWACS Roxman said. 

Luca continued to look for targets until he spotted an Osean Super Hornet heading for a residential area. The enemy pilot spotted him on his six and dropped altitude to try and shake him off perhaps hoping that he'd crash into one of the buildings. Luca stuck to the bandit like glue as he could catch glimpses of Erusean civilians running for their lives to escape the chaos. 

Knowing that his wife and child were among the civilians down there, Luca's anger began to build and build. "You get off to this, don't you? It makes you feel big and bad, doesn't it? Going after civilians...women and children, the elderly. Well, how you like it when someone's shooting back you!?" When he was in gun range Luca pressed the trigger and fired the Morgan's 30mm cannon ripping the Osean Superhornet apart.

"Sol 6! Where the hell are you? We need your help over here!" Sol 3 said.

"Copy that, what's your location?"

"We're trying to lure the enemy fighters away from the evacuation routes!" Sol 3 replied.

"I'll be right there!" Sol 6 said.

Luca put both engines into full power and flew towards the last known location of his wingmen to assist them. When he arrived they were in a massive furball with both Erusean and Osean fighter planes. He watched in horror as an Osean F-35C scored a direct hit on an Erusean Typhoon and destroyed Typhoon crashing into a house below.

"Sol 6 what the hell are you doing!? Get your head in the game!" Sol 4 shouted.

"Y-Yeah!" Luca said as he locked onto the F-35 and fired a missile at it, taking it down.

"What's wrong with you?" Sol 5 added.

"Nothing! I can still fight, don't worry!" Luca said in his defense as he engaged another Osean fighter this time shooting it down with the 30mm cannon.

"It looks like he's handling this like a rookie." Sol 3 said.  
Roxman crackled over the radio, "Sol 3, stop arguing! Can't you see the situation we're in!?"  
Sol Squadron continued to engage the Osean fighters until they suffered enough casualties to the point where they were left with no choice but to retreat. In the end, while the Eruseans took numerous losses but with the Kestrel II in retreat with her aircraft, this was a decisive victory for the Eruseans.

* * *

Luca touched down back at the airbase and taxied to the parking area. After leaving his plane he headed into the recreation room and grabbed a nice cup of coffee as well as a glazed donut before taking a seat at the table and listened to the latest report from ENN.

The report discussed the EAF's latest success against the Osean Maritime Defense Force which had some of the personnel in the room cheering and Luca raising his mug in approval. As the report progressed, Luca thought about Princess Rosa's recent speeches and how they lifted his spirits as well as the spirits of the people and taking the space elevator was just the icing on the cake.

Former President Vincent Harling supposedly had the Space Elevator built to help the Usean continent. But to the Erusean people and to Luca himself it reeked of arrogance...of Osea's desire to assert their dominance as the police of the world. Despite all that he still couldn't get over what he had witnessed earlier during the air battle over Farbanti.

While Luca was sitting at the table, Wit took a seat next to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. Luca turned and looked at him letting out a faint smile. Wit could sense something was on the young pilot's mind. While Seymour tended to be much harder on Luca, Wit treated Luca more like a little brother which is something that he needed in a time like this.

"What happened up there, Alessio?" Wit asked.

Luca looked at Wit and sighed. "W-When that plane crashed into that house I just had some bad thoughts...I was thinking about my wife and my little girl." Luca sighed.

Wit nodded fully understanding how the young pilot was feeling, "You thought that might've been your house?" He asked. 

Luca stared into his mug before resting his head on the table, "No...I live a bit further from the base. But considering that the Osean's were bombing the hell out of our city I'm worried about whether or not Elisa got out safely with Aria."

Luca opened the locket she had given him and showed the picture inside to Wit. He looked at the picture and saw his wife and child. Elisa was a brunette with green eyes and fair skin and she looked to be in her early to mid-twenties just like Luca. Their daughter was also a cutie too having a slightly darker skin tone as her father's was medium brown due to his Sapin Lineage from his mother's side.

"They're beautiful...I remember the first time I met them." Wit chuckled.

"Heh...thanks a lot, Wit." Luca smiled.

"Not a problem kiddo."

"Hey...can I ask you something?"  
Wit chuckled and took a sip of his drink, "What's on your mind?" 

"Why are you nice to me? I mean I've known you guys for like six years...Seymour is a bit of an ass. Roald and Hermann are cool though and Mihaly...he gives me kind of a typical CEO vibe...I mean he's even cold to his own Granddaughters and they love him to death." Luca said.  
Wit laughed, "Well..we're friends after all aren't we? We have been since I first met you back at Roca Roja...you were just some nugget flying that beater F-14A. Although I think our friendship started not just because of our mutual passion for flight but because of the amount of promise you showed that day." 

Luca chuckled and gave Wit a fist bump, "I remember the look on your face when you found out that I was able to get that F-14 out of a flat spin and restart its engines. I still wonder why Mihaly put me in a Morgan though...I mean you're his number two so can you tell me?" 

"Easy. Like you and me...Mihaly has this great passion for flying and with him, it borders on obsessive. The ADFX-01 is a very deadly plane but it's not exactly new and considering that we're an experimental squadron he thought you'd be the best pilot of the group to fly it....to be honest, that probably explains why Seymour is the way he is."

Wit's explanation made Luca laugh, "He's just jelly! Jokes aside I can't wait to get my hands on the Morgan's other special weapons....especially that TLS and MPBM. " He replied. 

 

"Hey! Alessio, Wit sorry to break up your heart to heart but we gotta get going, We're deploying!" Seymour said while clapping his hands.

"Really?" Luca asked.

"Yeah really." Seymour continued, "We're going to meet up with Mihaly so get packed up and get to your plane. Make sure to head to the restroom too because it's gonna be a looooong flight."

"Any idea where?" Luca asked once again.

"A new base near the Yinshi valley." Seymour replied, "We're going to be meeting some Belkan egghead named Schroeder...we should get briefed further once we arrive."

Luca nodded and got ready for the trip. He adjusted his flight suit and packed his flight bag before heading back out onto the tarmac. By the time he had made it out the sun was already beginning to go down. With his ADFX-01 refueled and re-armed he boarded his plane and got himself situated before beginning the startup procedures and once airborne joined the rest of the formation for the journey ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Made some edits to this chapter. I felt that it needed some expanding and a bit more dialogue**


	4. A familiar face

6/30/2019, 09:30 Hours EASA Air Field.

* * *

Sol Squadron had arrived at the Erusean Air And Space Administration's airfield nearly a month ago and some of the pilots were even celebrating Erusea's latest winning streak with the sinking of the OFS Kestrel II following the second assault on Farbanti and the first use of the Arsenal Birds that Erusea had captured when they took the Space Elevator. Then to further cripple enemy morale, former President Harling was killed during a daring rescue attempt by the Oseans.

Luca and his fellow pilots didn't celebrate though. Instead, they performed their sorties and returned to base accordingly. With the little downtime, Luca had he chose to spend it sitting outside the hangar with Mihaly.

"Can you believe this?" Mihaly asked, "They say that one day drones will replace the human pilot."

Luca looked at Mihaly, he could sense the disappointment in the man's tone. "It would pain me to see that happen. But these drones are supposedly sharper and more agile than we could ever be. " He replied.

"Hmph...Unlike a human, these drones are incapable of critical thinking. Of rational thought.

Luca nodded, "Hey, Mihaly is it true that we might have a guest coming to the base today?"

 

"Yes..." He said, "The Princess will be visiting today. Her visit is supposed to boost the morale of the personnel on the base and my eldest Granddaughter Ionela also went to school with her as well. If I recall correctly you met her before haven't you?"

"Yep, shortly after I joined up with you fine people. She was younger though...now I have another question to ask you. Have you heard rumors of an Osean penal unit? If I recall correctly they're called the Spares or something."

 

Mihaly raised an eyebrow, "What of it?"

 

"Well, apparently an Osean penal squadron has been carrying out some highly controversial missions. I overheard Seymour and Hermann talking about it. They were performing missions like defense probing and even assassination bombings of Erusian officials in unmarked planes. This could just be some kind of conspiracy propaganda cooked up by some weirdo though." He sighed.

Mihaly placed his hand on Luca's shoulder, "Something else is on your mind isn't it?"

"Yeah...My wife and kid. I know I bring them up a lot but I just love them so much and I'm getting worried. The last time we spoke was a few days after the squadron arrived here. After that, I haven't heard a single word from them...not even a reply from any of the emails I sent out. I hope they evacuated when the Oseans attacked Farbanti the second time...those bastards." He clenched his fists.

Mihaly sighed deeply and looked Luca in the eyes, "Unfortunately this is what war is. If you fail to remain focused out there then you will die." He said bluntly.

"I-I understand, sir." Luca replied.

* * *

The next morning Luca was relaxing by the hangar where his Morgan was parked and taking in the fresh air while enjoying some bacon strips he had cooked when a white C-1 with a unique rose emblem touched down onto the runway and taxied into the parking area.

The airstairs lowered and the Princess disembarked with her Golden Retriever, the Dog immediately running off, she tried to call him back but it was no use. Luca simply kneeled down to the dog's level to greet it and let the dog sniff him before petting it which surprised her.

"Hey, puppy!" Luca said while petting the dog, "I think I know what you want!" He chuckled and motioned for the dog to sit. The dog did as commanded and he fed him a piece of bacon, "Good boy for sitting! Now go back to your mama."

Princess Rosa's smile was ever so vibrant as she looked at Luca interacting with her pet. She instantly recognized him from six years ago, "Hello. Do you remember me by any chance?" She asked.

"How could I not?" He chuckled, "You're the Princess of Erusea after all...I remember when my family and I first met you and your father. It was shortly after I joined the 68th...wow just look at you!" He chuckled, "You've really grown up." 

 

Ionela looked at Luca with a surprised expression on her face, "You two have actually met before? How come you never told me, Rosa? Did you two go to the same school too?"

"Nah, I graduated in 2013 so she was after my time. After that, I was conscripted into the wonderful Erusean Air Force. My wife though always kept up with the Royals. But nonetheless, I felt the same way Rosa here did when I found out that the Oseans had bombed our school."

Alma giggled and looked up at Luca then at Rosa while clutching her teddy bear, "Your wife must have been super happy to meet the Princess then."

"Let's just say I had to stop her from fainting..." He laughed.

"Luca and I met during a family day at the base six years ago. He was just a young pilot and I was just getting into secondary school...that reminds me! Did you ever finish your project?"

He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of his 1968 Charger overlooking Gunther Bay. Rosa took the phone and zoomed in on the picture. Luca's Charger was now painted in light blue with a white bumble bee stripe instead of its dull primer and he and his family were also posing with the car as well.

She smiled again and it almost melted his heart, "It is so pretty...I knew you could finish restoring it if you set your mind to it and your family. They're so beautiful too..." She said.

"Thank you, your highness...it means a lot especially coming from you," Luca replied, bowing out of respect.

"You're welcome! By the way, how is your family doing?" Rosa asked.

"I haven't heard from my wife for the past couple of weeks..." Luca sighed, "I know that at least with your speeches they're in high spirits wherever they may be at least." He smiled.

"I hope they're safe.." Rosa said.

"I can tell you mean that...Once again thanks a lot for your-" 

Before Luca could continue the conversation with the Princess and Mihaly's Granddaughters. Sol 5 ran out of the hangar in a panic and motioned for Luca to follow him.

"SOL 6! Get to the ready room!" Roald shouted

"What's going on?" Luca asked.

"Just get over there already!"

"Alright, I'll be right there..." He sighed, "I gotta get going, take care ladies."

"Ah! Luca!" Rosa said hoping to get Luca's attention..

He looked back at her, "Yes your highness?" He asked.

"I hope we can talk again soon...and please be safe!" The princess replied.

"I will..." He smiled and waved goodbye.

* * *

Luca arrived in the ready room with the rest of Sol Squadron. Doctor Schroeder was also there this time to provide them with the briefing for their next operation.

"Now that you're all here let's get started shall we?" Doctor Schroeder said, "You all will be taking part in yet another mission against the IUN and Osean forces. You will accompany Mihaly as usual so I can gather his flight data for the drones."

Seymour let out a deep sigh and raised his hand, "Isn't that what we're here for in the first place? Our goal is to guard Mihaly after all."

"That's my point. Mihaly will be leading the charge so he can provide the Copro in the rear seat of his SU-30SM with the necessary data to allow me to upgrade the drone's artificial intelligence. Now can I continue?"

"Any idea on what we'll be up against?" Wit asked next.

"According to the top brass, you'll be engaging Osean fighters primarily. Your mission will be to assist Refil Squadron as their hands are currently tied and as we speak they have enough trouble defending the supply lines as it is. I'm sure they'll be happy to have help from you all."

"Oh I bet.." Hermann said sarcastically.

"Knock it off. At least we're doing something." Roald replied.

"Where will we be heading?" Luca asked.

"You'll be heading to Los Canas. The area in question is not too far from the Yinshi Valley," Schroeder said, pointing to the location on the map, "You will rendezvous with a tanker prior to your arrival and once again AWACS Roxman will be your mission support. Once you're over the mission area you will wipe out the enemy aircraft and provide air superiority for our allies and like I said. This will also be a great opportunity for Mihaly to provide additional data for the drones. Wheels up tomorrow at 08:00 Hours, dismissed."

The pilots left the room and headed to their current hangout at a bar on the base known as the Salty Sailor and took a seat at their table. An awkward silence filling the room as everyone simply enjoyed their drinks, Mihaly, as usual, displaying little emotion.

"That Schroeder guy kinda rubs me the wrong way..." Luca said, finally breaking the silence.

Wit looked at Sol 6 and let out a deep sigh, "Well we have a job to do...We don't have the strength to stand up to Osea pound for pound, buddy. With Mihaly's battle data those drones can help us. Look at what they've been able to do so far."

Hermann took a long sip of his beer, "Wit has a point, dude. Now how's about I buy you a drink eh? Help take your mind of things?" He finally said.

"No thanks...I've never been much of a drinker." Luca sighed.

Seymour smirked and wrapped his arm around Luca, "Changing the subject completely...I gotta ask. Do you have a crush on the Princess? I saw how you were chattin' her up earlier?" He said.

"Seymour...can you stop teasing him for once? Your attitude towards Sol 6 borders on ridiculous." Mihaly added.

"It was just a question, Mihaly. I don't mean anything bad by it!" Seymour said, "C'mon kid! Just answer the question don't be a wimp! She is a pretty lady after all."

Luca sighed and released himself from Seymour's grip, "I'm married, dude! Princess Cossette is a very nice girl...and I'm humbled by the fact that she still remembers me after all these years but firstly I would never do anything to hurt the woman I love and secondly I don't think the Princess would even like me that way...I mean I'm like six years older than her. Plus why would the Princess want a regular guy? She has plenty of men in great positions of power to choose from given her status."

"It's a six year age difference, get over it!" Seymour laughed hard and banged his hand on the table, "On top of that she's not 

"You know what? I'm going to my room...see you guys tomorrow." Luca pouted.

"Ahh c'mon I was only kidding!" Seymour said, "Wow you're such a big baby."


	5. Loss

**7/1/2019 Los Canas, Central Usea**

* * *

With three hundred miles until Los Canas the pilots of Sol Squadron finally met with their tanker and began refueling. This time Luca was now flying an EASA MiG-29A which had recently been overhauled because his Morgan was undergoing some unexpected maintenance.

"All right Sol 6 you're up. Check your plane and prepare for refueling. Just follow my lead and I'll guide you all the way in." The boom operator said.

"So, Sol 6 what's the deal with that ADFX-01 of yours? I'm surprised to see you flying a Fulcrum. Your chances of survival are now slim to none in that thing." Sol 3 said.

"They spotted an oil leak on engine two. A hose might've ruptured or something so I'm using this fine machine until it's fixed...hopefully, Grunder Industries still makes the parts." Luca said with little enthusiasm as he extended the MiG-29's refueling probe.

"1,500 meters to tanker."

Luca continued to inch closer and closer to the tanker until the probe was close enough to the drogue. With proper precision, he placed the probe into the basket and the boom operator began refueling.

"Great work, sol 6! Commencing refueling."

With the refueling complete. Sol Squadron continued their journey to the mission area and upon arrival received their objectives from AWACS Roxman.

"Alright listen up. As said in the briefing, your mission is to engage the Osean fighters and defend the supply lines. You will be supporting Refil Squadron in this effort. If this mission fails then our soldiers will soon starve. Drones will be present as well for additional support." Roxman said.

"Tell us something we don't know. Tell us why you decided to bring the greenest pilot along for us to babysit when you could've brought Roald or Hermann or better yet just the three of us." Sol 3 added.

"How many times must I repeat myself?" Mihaly asked, "I see potential in Sol 6 and because of this I am willing to take him on as an apprentice just as I did with Yellow 13 and Yellow 6 before him."

Luca was in shock when he heard the callsign Yellow 6, "Whoa whoa hold on!" Luca exclaimed, "You trained my father!? What was he like in the air?"

"We'll speak more about this when we return to base." Mihaly replied, "Right now we have a job to do."

They finally arrived in the mission area and things were not looking good. Osean fighters had already done a number on the allied ground units and the allied fighters were doing their best to fight back against the Oseans. There was still a chance at victory though but the way things were it was looking slim if they didn't act fast.

"Sol Squadron! Thank goodness you arrived, this is Refil One...we've done the best we could to keep the Oseans and IUN at bay but we just don't have the manpower. Perhaps with your help, we can turn the tide."

"That's why we're here..." Mihaly said.

"We've got bandits on our twelve...Sol 2 engaging." Wit said.

"Sol 3 engaging," Seymour said.

"Sol 6 engaging. Let's get this done and go home, boys." Luca said.

"Not liking that Fulcrum, Sol 6?" Wit asked.

"Not one bit...this particular example is old and dust and despite it being overhauled. I have no idea whether or not it'll break apart in mid-air because the airframe is already clapped out." 

Mihaly sighed in annoyance, "All of you quiet down...we're nearing the mission area. I need you to remain focused." He said.

* * *

Within a half an hour Sol squadron was in the mission area. The pilots quickly broke formation and Sol 6 selected the 4AAM and selected four targets. He fired the missiles and much to his surprise they managed to take out a flight of Osean F-18s and F-16s. 

"Hit confirmed! Good job sol 6!" Roxman said.

"It's Mister X again!" Said an Osean pilot.

"The Experimental Squadron...they had to show up again sooner or later. Wardog 2 and 3 form an element. Let's take these bastards down."

"Roger that, Heartbreak One!" The Osean pilots said.

"Heartbreak One? That callsign sounds familiar where have I heard it before?" Luca thought to himself.

"YO! Sol 6 get your head out of the clouds!" Sol 3 said.

"I'm here! Don't worry.."

"Sol 6...I'll let you take the lead pilot," Mihaly added.

"King are you crazy?" Sol 2 asked.

"I want him to understand the enemy just as I do...that is how you learn and don't call me that..." Mihaly replied.

Mihaly and Luca worked together to engage the bandits. The two pilots flew together as if they were performing an airshow demonstration for spectators rather than fighting a battle. Mihaly soon found an enemy plane on his six and decided to toy with the bandit for a bit before performing a kulbit and shooting him down.

"Good kill, Mihaly!" Sol 2 said.

Luca was focused on Heartbreak One's F-15E Strike Eagle. He could tell that this pilot had decades of experience by the way he flew. The sheer skill made his palms sweat and the loud thumping from his heart beats drown out the radio calls on his headset.

"Show me whatcha got!" Heartbreak One said.

Sol 6 tried to keep his focus until Heartbreak One saw an opening and ended up on his six, "He's behind me!" Luca said.

"Sol 2 moving in to assist! I've got your back, buddy!" Wit said.

"NO! Do not interfere...he needs to learn...he needs to understand his enemy. This is good for him." Mihaly said.

Heartbreak One locked onto Luca's MiG, "You're mine!" He said as he fired the 20mm cannon. The rounds impacting the right wing and causing damage to the control surfaces.

Luca tried to evade but the bandit was on his six and not letting go. Suddenly there was a missile warning! he quickly performed a barrel roll, followed by a Cobra. That last trick actually saved his life as the missile passed between his left wing and horizontal stabilizer.

"What the hell!? It looks like Mister X got himself an apprentice eh? I like it when they put up a fight!" Heartbreak One said.

"Now the hunter had become the hunted..." Luca said as he locked onto the F-15E, "Sol 6, fox two!" He fired two missiles at the F-15E both missiles hitting the Strike Eagle and blasting it out of the sky and leaving no debris. There was no way the pilot could've survived.

"Heartbreak One respond! BARTLETT!!" Said another Osean pilot over the radio, "You son of a bitch...you'll pay for this!"

Mihaly quickly engaged the bandit on Sol 6's tail taking advantage of the distraction Sol 6 was providing and downed him with ease. The bandit letting out a terrifying scream before the sound of static filled the radio waves.

"Refil 2 here, that pilot in the MiG-29 is quite impressive! Is he the new guy everyone's been talking about?"

Roxman quickly interrupted "Cut the chatter! We've got Osean fighters heading to intercept a formation of Erusean transport planes. These aircraft are carrying supplies for our troops on the ground. You must protect them at all costs!" He ordered.

"Roger that!" Sol 2 said.

Luca looked at his radar and potted the cargo planes on radar along with six enemy planes, "I've got them. Mihaly...are you ready?"

"Let's finish this..." Mihaly replied.

Sol and Refil Squadron joined formation and engaged the bandits attacking transports. Sol 6 went in for a gun kill shooting down an IUN F-16C. Mihaly then selected a QAAM And locked onto another bandit and fired the missile. The missile performing a sharp ninety-degree turn before hitting its target. Luca performed a split S maneuver and evaded another missile that was fired at him before engaging another enemy this time an F-15C. Using the Fulcrum's superior thrust to weight ratio he climbed after the Eagle and opened fire with the 30mm cannon scoring yet another kill.

"I'd be a fool not to admit it but Sol 6 is better than I thought..." Sol 3 said.

"I wouldn't have recommended the kid to Mihaly if I didn't see the potential." Sol 2 added.

The fighting continued until the MQ-99s finally arrived on the scene. The drones proved to be highly efficient and with the data, Mihaly was providing they were only going to get better. With the MQ-99s taking care of the rest, Sol Squadron rejoined formation.

"Sol Squadron be advised. Friendly drones have entered the mission area to relieve you. You are cleared to return to base, good work today!" Roxman said, "Oh and Sol 6...Command has a message for you when you return. Whatever it is, they say it's urgent so stop by the Commander's office ASAP."

"Any idea what it might be, Roxman?"

"They didn't give me the specifics, sorry."

* * *

Sol Squadron arrived back at base after yet another successful mission. Mihaly's battle data was sent to Schroeder to be uploaded to the drones that were in production and the pilots were going to celebrate. Unfortunately for Luca, the celebration would be cut short when he received the news that Roxman had informed him of during the sortie.

"Where ya headed kid? Aren't you gonna have a drink?" Seymour asked.

"Not now, Wit. I gotta go speak with the base commander and see what he wants..." Luca replied.

"Take care, Luca!" Ionela added.

"Thanks for keeping Grandpa safe again." Alma said.

"You're welcome and likewise. See you two around." He chuckled and waved goodbye to Mihaly's Granddaughters.

When Luca arrived at the Commander's office he knocked on the door and stood at attention.

"Come in," The Commander said.

Luca stood at attention in front of the Commander's desk, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes...Captain Alessio. I need you sitting down for this." The commander pointed to the chair in front of his desk and Luca nodded and sat down.

Luca's heart began to race as he wondered what the news was about. The commander himself even struggled to make the words come out of his mouth.

"I-I received some very very bad news from the unit stationed in Farbanti. Following the second assault, the OMDF bombed a refugee shelter where Erusean civilians were staying claiming it to be an ammunition dump. The attack killed about four hundred people and we have yet to confirm how many were injured. Unfortunately...your wife and daughter were among the dead. I'm sorry..." The commander said.

"I-Is that all?" Luca asked, "Can I go now?"

Luca managed to contain both his anger and sadness. But deep down he was hurting and he just wanted to let it all out right in the Commander's office. Luca felt not only like a failure but also as if he had lost a part of his soul...as if he had died inside. And all he had accomplished suddenly meant nothing with his loved ones gone.

"I can understand that you're angry...for the time being, You'll be pulled from flight duty if need be. You're dismissed...please take this time to grieve, Captain.”

Luca left the Commander's office and headed to his room. When he arrived he closed the door and locked it behind him. He then sat down at his desk and turned on the desk lamp. He stared aimlessly at the wall for a good five minutes until he finally broke down. The tears began to flow as he slipped into a deep rage and began throwing things and screaming. In the next room, Rosa could hear what was going on...then he began punching the walls which startled her.

He heard a knock on the door and mustered up the strength to answer it. When he opened the door it was the Princess...she was shaking and looking at him with genuine concern.

"Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to?" The Princess asked as she walked into his room and closed the door.

When she came in she saw the room completely wrecked with books and other belongings strewn all over the room and even the table flipped. Luca was standing in the middle of it all shaking with tears in his eyes and his knuckles bruised from the ordeal.

"What are you still doing here? What do you want?"

"It's not safe to take off so my flight was delayed. Now, what's wrong? I’m here, Luca...talk to me."

"My wife and child...they're gone. They died during the second assault on Farbanti.." Luca said.

When Rosa heard this she hugged him as tightly as she could. The hug took him by surprise but he could also tell that she meant it. The two hugged for several moments until he was finally able to speak again.

His voice sounded faint and ragged, "I-I'll never be able to hold my daughter again, kiss her goodnight, hear her voice. And my wife.." He took a deep breath, "I knew Elisa since childhood. We made a promise together when we were kids. I told her that someday I'd be a pilot just like my dad and that I'd become the best pilot in the whole Erusean Air Force. I became a pilot and well we got married...and now all of that is gone and Aria will never be able to even live her life.”

Rosa placed her hand on Luca's and interlocked her fingers with his, "I'm so sorry, Luca.."

“I failed to do my duty...To keep them safe. I'm worthless and without them...there's nothing left for me in this world." He said.

She cupped his cheeks and wiped away his tears, "You're not worthless...don't ever say that! While all you have of your family right now is just memories...in order to move forward, you have to create new ones. It will not be easy, Luca but we can work together...Will you do that with me, Luca?"

Luca gazed deeply into Rosa's eyes, "I know this won't be easy, Rosa...but. I can't help but blame myself for this." He sighed, "I'll do the best that I can for you...Thank you for being here...I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am..but now I need to be alone. I hope you understand that this is nothing against you. I just need to be alone with my thoughts, okay?" 

"I understand..." Rosa replied before hugging Luca once again and leaving his room.

When rosa entered her room she laid down on her bed and looked up at the ceiling, _"When the time is right...I hope that I will finally have the courage to confess my feelings to him..."_ She thought to herself.


	6. The Hunt Part I

**July 12th, 2019 08:30 Hours**

Rosa traced her finger over the rim of her cup thinking about her moment with Luca when he received the bad news about the fate of his family. This motivated Ionela's curiosity and she wanted to try and figure out what the Princess was thinking and what her true feelings might actually be.

"Rosa...do you have feelings for Luca? Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell anyone." Ionela said while she stirred her tea and took a sip. 

"I do...at least that is what my heart tells me. Ever since the first time I met him...I've had this feeling about him. But I was too young at the time...and even if I was of age I would've never done anything to come between him and his family. Now that he's at this point in his life where he's alone and grieving...I want to be there for him." Rosa blushed and looked away.

"What made these feelings surface?" 

"I-I don't know. Just seeing him again brought back the memories...but-" She was then interrupted by Ionela.

"You're afraid to confess your feelings?" Ionela asked.

"Yes..." Rosa sighed, "But I'm going to offer him my support because that's what he needs most isn't it?" 

"I think you're doing the right thing." Ionela chuckled, "He's just at a difficult point right now and I can understand him. You're aware of what Alma and I went through when we lost our mother." 

"I am aware...and having empathy for others is what's important isn't it?"

"How do you really feel about this whole war, Rosa?" Ionela sighed, "Is that Space Elevator really that much of a threat?" 

The question took Rosa by surprise and she pursed her lips and looked down at her now empty teacup. She tried to figure out how she was going to respond to Ionela. 

"That Space Elevator is what has been continuing Erusea's economic decline and then we must sit and watch as our space program which used to thrive just withers away. Then there's the constant presence of those Arsenal Birds." She sighed, "To be honest...I don't know what to think, Ionela. I can't bring myself to resist my father and every time I speak...I feel that I'm at least doing my part and giving the Erusean people the hope that they need. I feel that I'm doing something good...something noble." 

Just as Rosa had finished her sentence, Luca walked into the room with a cup of coffee in hand. He looked as if he hadn't gotten much sleep as yawned before taking a sip from his mug. Rosa quickly got up from her seat and hugged him which took him by surprise. 

"Hello, Luca...you look like you haven't gotten much rest." She said as she looked into his eyes.

"N-No not much. Only about four hours." He yawned and took another sip of his coffee. 

"I hope you don't plan on going flying in this state," Ionela added. 

"The base commander advised against it so I might take a nap...thanks a lot for your concern though." 

Luca raised his mug and tried his best to crack a smile but deep down he was still hurting badly. Then again who could really blame him? He was so tired and beaten from the grief that he lacked the strength to even cry. 

"Luca...are you okay?" Rosa asked.

"I'm fine...you shouldn't worry so much. I'm just one pilot out of several thousand." He replied. 

Rosa's warm smile turned to a pout as she rose from her chair and stood before him. She crossed her arms and looked at him

"Why would you say that? You're a member of Sol Squadron and you're also a friend..." She quickly looked away. 

"Just a friend you say?" Luca sighed, "Look, Rosa, I get that you're trying to help and let me tell you that really warms my heart. Not many people can say that the Princess of Erusea is willing to help some pilot cope with the loss of loved ones personally but I'm just trying my best to take this all in ya know?" 

 

"N-Not just a friend I didn't mean it like that." Rosa said before catching herself, "That's not the point though! As I said before I'm here for you and you said that we would work together to make new memories." 

Luca rubbed the nape of his neck and struggled to maintain eye contact with the Princess. 

"Shouldn't you go take a nap? You look really tired." Alma added, looking at Luca's fatigued eyes.

"I think I might. Rosa...i'm sorry okay?" 

"I'm not mad. Don't worry..." Rosa said as she kissed Luca's cheek. 

The kiss took him by surprise along with Alma and Ionela. Rosa also took a few steps back after realizing what she had just done.

"My most sincere apologies!" She said, her face turning bright red.

"Don't sweat it..." He chuckled, "I'm gonna go and get some rest now. See you three later."

Luca yawned while rubbing his eyes and was going to head to his room until Mihaly stepped in and stopped him dead in his tracks. 

"Sol 6...we have another mission. Head to the briefing room for further details.” He ordered. 

“But Mihaly...didn’t you get the CO’s memo? He said I could take some time off.” 

“You may have lost your family and while that is sad. I've lost something too...I lost my nation...my home and I was betrayed by my best friend...a man who I once considered to be my brother when my country underwent a violent revolution. He turned against and nearly killed me. Taking the cowards way out is not an option, Sol 6. If you want to sit this mission out then you might as well turn in your wings"

“Grandfather! You can’t be like this to him!” Ionela intervened.

”Please, Grandpa don’t do this...he needs to sleep! What if he crashes?” Alma said.

"No...he's right, so don't worry okay?" Luca said, "I'm right behind you, Shilage."

* * *

The two pilots arrived at the briefing room and Luca sat down with the rest of Sol Squadron. Mihaly then gathered the intel for the mission and placed it on the board. The intel contained photographs of the region which consisted of tall rocky pillars which would make flying dangerous given the weather conditions.

"Our radar sites detected a squadron of Osean fighters over Yinshi Valley. Most likely from that Penal unit we've been hearing about lately following their success at Roca Roja." Mihaly rubbed his temples, "Our mission is to intercept an Osean Squadron that was sent on a reconnaissance mission into Erusean territory. As we speak our UAV's are currently chasing them for us. The weather will be poor at best. We'll be experiencing heavy rain as well as thunder and lightning. Are there any questions?" 

Luca raised his hand and Mihaly pointed to him.

"Yes, Alessio?" 

"Any chance that we might face that Ace Pilot that rumors have been circulating about? I think they call him the Three Strikes or something." Luca said.

"I don't know..." Mihaly said, "Regardless I would still like to see what this Three Strikes is all about...I would like to understand him. Wouldn't you?" 

"I suppose so. We must understand our enemies right?" 

"Yes...you're catching on quite well." Mihaly said, "Wit, Seymour, Alessio let's get going." 

The pilots headed to their planes and boarded them. Luca's ADFX-01 was fitted with the Tactical Laser System this time around mounted on a pod atop the Morgan's fuselage.

"Was she hard to get running again?" Luca asked his crew chief. 

"Difficult but Grunder really came through for us on getting the parts we needed thanks to Schroeder. Just take it easy though...apparently, this Morgie's a bit old. She dates back to before the Continental War which would put her at around the mid-nineties." The Crew Chief replied.

"Roger that." 

Luca gave a thumbs up and the Crew Chief climbed down from the boarding ladder and removed it from the plane. With the ground crew a safe distance away the pilots began their startup procedures and taxied to the runway. With take off clearance granted the planes took off two by two and headed off into the deep blue sky. 

When they joined formation and followed their first waypoint. This flight was going to be shorter than the last one but it would still be at least a couple of hours before arrival so in order to make the flight more pleasant they decided to chat.

"So, Sol 6 are you sure you're okay to fly? The weathers gonna be crappy and well considering what you're going through I uh..I wouldn't blame you if you backed out." Seymour said.

"Of course I have, Sol 3...I'm actually surprised you're being sympathetic." Luca chuckled.

"Well I guess I was wrong about you." Seymour laughed, "You've proven to be a hell of a pilot...I guess Sol 2 wasn't drunk when he picked you out of the other recruits that day. You still have horrible taste in cars though..." 

"Bite me.." Luca laughed. 

"Hey...I told you the kid could fly, didn't I? Even Sol 1 here saw the potential when he viewed his record on top of that he's the son of Yellow 6...what's not to like?" Wit added. 

"I got another question...how about you and Princess Cossette?" Seymour teased.

"This again, Sol 3? Oh, cut it out dammit!" Wit complained, 

Luca sighed and shook his head, "I like her...I admit it. I-I may even have feelings for her too but I need more time before I can think of even confessing those feelings. I need to see if my feelings are real or if it's just some kind of coping mechanism...to deal with the sadness...the loneliness." 

"You're afraid to lose her..." Mihaly added, "Perfectly understandable. Sol 3, stop pestering Sol 6 about his love life we have a job to do and he needs to remain focused. Letting his emotions get the best of him can mean the difference between life and death.." 

"Sorry, Sol 1." Seymour replied, "Let's change the subject..."

"Don't be sorry, stay focused," Mihaly replied sternly.


	7. The Hunt Part II

Mihaly engaged his first target. A Spare Squadron MiG-29A and yet to the surprise of his wingmen he didn't open fire on his opponent, he just toyed with the bandit like a predator stalking its prey. The enemy banked left and right and rolled until he switched on the airbrakes and performed a Cobra maneuver. Mihaly overshot the bandit and was now at a disadvantage as the enemy locked onto his SU-30SM. Thinking that he was an easy kill, Mihaly suddenly performed a Kulbit maneuver and fired a missile at the MiG-29 obliterating it.

"You could've done that sooner..." Sol 2 said.

"I want to understand the enemy," Mihaly replied.

After the Osean AWACS informed the enemy pilots of the shoot down the gloves came off. Sol Squadron quickly formed an element and engaged the bandits that were attacking Sol 1. Sol 6 finally caught his first glimpse of the infamous pilot that he had heard so many rumors about. The pilots plane was an F-15C with three lines on its tail. Three Strikes as they called him and he was the only one with the guts to fight Mihaly. During the battle, Sol 6 witnessed a missile strike Mihaly's plane and quickly moved in to provide support.

"sol 6 moving in to defend!"

"Do not interfere!" Sol 1 ordered.

Sol 6 reluctantly complied and focused on the other threats with Sol 2 and Sol 3. The weather made their job next to impossible with the constant lightning strikes and strong winds pushing their aircraft around like wooden gliders.

"A Morgan! How the hell did the Eruseans get their hands on one of those!?" Spare 9 asked shockingly.

"Less questions and more fighting!" Ban Dog ordered.

"That Morgan is mine then! Wait till the boys hear about this back at base!" Spare 9 replied.

Spare 9 had an altitude advantage over Sol 6 and used it to ambush him by diving at him and opening fire with the Mirage's twin 30mm cannons.

Sol 6's instincts kicked in and he quickly performed a barrel roll to dodge the tracer fire and then an Immelmann turn in hopes of shaking off the Mirage. Suddenly his plane was hit by a direct lightning strike which caused his HUD to go offline briefly. Purely on the defensive, Sol 6 dove towards the pillars and used them to his advantage to try and shake the Spare Squadron pilot off.

With Spare 9 on his six again, Sol 6 performed a high yo-yo maneuver careful not to exceed the seven G limit on the Morgan’s Zoisite pod and found himself on the Mirage's tail. He then fired a missile but the bandit had deployed flares which spoofed the missile. He selected the TLS and took aim and waited for the Mirage to pass through the clouds. Once through the cloud cover, he had to guess where the laser beam would hit without the help of the HUD. He pressed the trigger and a bright red ray of light emitted from the TLS pod, guiding the beam towards the bandit and ripping the Mirage to pieces. With the mirage down, Sol 6 breathed a sigh of relief and checked his instruments. The multifunction displays were still functioning and the HUD Finally came back online after the fighting had ended.

"Sol 1, Sol 6, the clouds are moving in. Let's return to base."

"Copy that." Sol 6 sighed.

"Affirmative..." Sol 1 said.

"That was a pretty quick fight..." Sol 6 sighed in annoyance.

"Yeah...Who knew the weather would be this bad? And that pilot that Sol 1 fought against...he wasn't your average Osean fighter jock...that guy had skill." Sol 3 replied.

"I think the day I face Three Strikes is the day that I die." Sol 6 said. 

"Holy hell you're such a pessimist!" Sol 3 sighed, "Lighten up, kid! Maybe Mr. Three Strikes just got lucky today..."

* * *

The squadron returned to base with their mission being a failure. The squadrons they were tasked with intercepting had escaped into Osean territory. Mihaly's SU-30SM had suffered moderate battle damage in his dogfight against the Three Strikes and Luca's Morgan was in dire need of an inspection after that lightning strike. Ionela and Alma quickly rushed to sit Mihaly down and provide him with oxygen after the sortie because of the amount of the stress the G forces had put on his body. 

"I don't think the new flight suit that scientist gave him is enough to help him..." Luca mumbled to himself.

Luca couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief at what Mihaly was putting himself through. Any man his age would've retired by now and yet he was still up there despite the amount of strain he put on his body with every sortie. Luca looked into his flight bag and found a bottle of water. The water was a bit warm but one thing he did learn was that warm water rehydrated faster than cold water. He pulled the bottle out of his bag and handed it to Alma. 

"Give this to him...keep him hydrated." He said. 

"Okay, thank you very much!" Alma said.

Alma quickly opened the bottle and poured the water into her Grandfather's mouth. Some of the water fell onto his flight suit but he still drank the water as quickly as he could. Breathing a sigh of relief once he finished the bottle. 

"I can't believe that jerk, Schroeder..." Ionela said, "I-I..." 

"You wish you could give him a piece of your mind huh? So do I...but sadly I think we're all going to have to just tolerate him." Luca sighed in disappointment, "If it makes you feel better...I feel the same way you do about him."

"Maybe you're right..." Ionela sighed deeply, "Anyway don't let me keep you." 

"Are you sure? I'm happy to help you with Mihaly if you need it." 

"No...Alma and I can handle it. You should head to the bar now. I think Rosa would like to see you."

* * *

Luca walked into the bar to see it practically empty except for the bartender and a familiar song that he and his wife used to listen to together, The Scientist by Coldplay was playing on the jukebox. The only customer besides him was Rosa who was enjoying a nice glass of soda. He took a seat next to her and she couldn't help but smile. Her expressiveness was enough to turn anyone's frown upside down and bring happiness to even the saddest soul.

"Ionela told me you'd be here...what's up?" He asked.

"I'm so glad you came back safely...there is something I've been meaning to tell you." She said.

"What's on your mind?"

"Luca...I've kept my feelings for you contained as long as I can. I am in love with you, and true, honest love should not be contained and kept quiet forever. I was too young to confess and I never wanted to get in between what you and your wife had together. I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm coming on too strong..." Rosa sighed deeply.

Luca placed his hand on hers and looked into her eyes. He was captivated by her confession but at the same time the memories he shared with his late wife still resonated in his mind and while he did have feelings for Rosa he also felt fearful. Fearful of the fact that he too could lose her.

"R-Rosa...are you sure that you really want someone like me? Aren't there a bunch of other great guys who are just begging to have you?"

"But none of them are you," Rosa murmured, "I've been in love with you for a long time...but I have never wanted to get in between you and your family. If I sound selfish...then you have my most sincere apologies"

"You don't have to apologize. Because I feel the same way for you, I can tell that your feelings are real...that you're genuine and I don't think that I can deny what my heart tells me. W-We'll just have to take things one step at a time. By the way, gimme one second."

Luca went over to the jukebox and put a coin into the slot. He scrolled through the tracks until he found a song that he remembered from his childhood. Come Away with Me by Norah Jones. An old song but one he still remembered well especially during the Continental War.

"May I have this dance, your highness?" Luca chuckled and extended his hand out to her.

"I'd love to," Rosa giggled, taking his hand.

Luca held her close, Rosa's body molding into his as if they were made for each other. Placing her hands on his shoulders they danced silently, nothing but short gasps of breath were to be heard. He leaned in for a kiss, his lips meeting hers, their hearts racing. The kiss was magical and the emotions were overwhelming, he felt as if Rosa would be the one to finally set him free. The one to join him through the next chapter in his life. Soon the song had come to an end and the couple gazed into each other's eyes until she broke the silence.

"I really enjoyed that." She said.

"I did too. What I'm feeling right now it's...it's amazing. I feel like maybe I have a purpose again...I guess it's safe to say that you're my knight in shining armor, pretty ironic since it's supposed to be the other way around. As you can tell, I'm not good at this romantic stuff." He chuckled.

Rosa chuckled at Luca's comment, "I told you that we would make new memories together."

"Thank you, your highness..."


	8. Sol vs Mobius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spoiler Alert: If you have yet to play Ace Combat 7. You only fight Sol Squadron about three times. Considering the time gap with the battles between Trigger and Sol Squadron (Especially Mihaly) I felt that it was best to portray Sol Squadron as the elite Experimental Squadron that they were known and feared as. Especially when conducting special operations type missions against Osea and the IUN.**

**July 14th, 2019**

* * *

Luca finally managed to get a good nights sleep and awoke feeling refreshed when the alarm clock on his phone went off at 6:30 am. He remembered the moment he shared with Rosa and couldn't help but let out a smile as he climbed out of his bed and headed into the bathroom to shower and get changed into his flight suit.

After the mission over Yinshi Valley, Mihaly was in a bad state physically leaving Sol 2 to command the squadron. The gloves were going to be coming off and the high command would now be authorizing Sol Squadron to conduct high-risk operations against the enemy. The pilots arrived at the briefing room and reviewed the information that Commander Russo had for them before taking their seats.

"Alright everyone pay attention." Russo said, "Today your usual operational procedures will be different. Your flight lead, Sol 1 is currently out of action so today Wit will take his place as the flight lead. Are there any problems with this change?" The Commander asked, looking around the room. Sol Squadron knew that there was no need to object as this was just temporary and Mihaly would be back in action soon enough.

"Okay then, on with the briefing."

"Let's get this over with..." Seymour muttered.

"You will be tasked with going deep into IUN held territory and disrupting IUN-PKF supply lines in Northeastern Usea. The main target is located near Rigley Air Base. Sol 6 will fly ECM support given his Morgan's excellent electronic warfare capabilities while Sol 2 and Sol 3 will attack the targets. Be advised...Mobius Squadron is said to be present in the mission area as well. If the intel is true then do not engage just run, you're dismissed."

The three pilots rose from their chairs and left the room. Before getting their gear they grabbed a cup of coffee and looked over the intel.

"So...can anybody see the irony with all this? Rigley Airbase was a base that Erusea held during the Continental War fifteen years ago before ISAF retook it and now we're going to attack it." Seymour couldn't help but laugh. He remembered the Continental War well including Voslage's annexation by the Erusean government.

"According to the intel we're supposed to inflict as much damage as possible on the base as well as the surrounding area." Wit said unenthusiastically.

Thankfully the weather for today's mission would be clear which meant smooth sailing until the missiles started flying. The three pilots walked to their planes and began the preflight checks to make sure that their planes were in good working order.

With no issues found they climbed into the cockpits and closed the canopies then began the startup procedures. The auxiliary power units began to spool up and soon the engines began to come to life as the turbines spooled up. With the engines at operating temperature, the pilots set their radios to the designated frequency and prepared to taxi.

Wit pressed the mic button on the flight stick and contacted the tower, "Sol 2, requesting taxi to runway 21." He said.

"This is the control tower. You are cleared to taxi, Sol 2."

Wit gently applied throttle and let off the brakes and his SU-30M2 rolled forward. He turned left and taxied past Seymour who followed behind him as he passed.

"Sol 3, rolling." He announced.

When Seymour was a safe enough distance away, Luca followed behind him as well.

"Sol 6, rolling." He said in a somewhat excited tone.

"Well isn't this surprising?" Seymour chuckled, "It looks like Alessio here is excited about something...could it involve a certain Princess?"

"Sol 2 I swear to god if you start..." Wit sighed, "Just because Mihaly isn't here today doesn't mean that I'm going to tolerate your crap!"

"Oh come on wit! We've known each other since Grade School! You can tell I'm just teasing." Seymour couldn't help but laugh.

"Guys it's cool." Luca chuckled, "I can take what Seymour's dishing out."

Wit breathed an audible sigh of relief, "It's good to know that you're feeling better...I guess Princess Cossette cheered you up."

"So are you two...ya know." Seymour added.

"Seeeeymour..." Wit said, his annoyance beginning to grow.

"No dude!" Luca sighed, "Right now me and her are just talking. I think it's best to just take things slowly...I don't want to rush into anything like that especially in a time like this."

"Okay okay! It can't hurt to ask."

The three planes positioned themselves on the runway in a three-ship formation with Wit leading it.

"Alright everyone check your instruments one last time and let's get going." Wit commanded.

Luca and Seymour gave the okay and Wit gently applied throttle until he reached full afterburner followed by Seymour and then Luca. The two SU-30Ms and the ADFX-01 rolled down the runway and once they were within takeoff speed gained altitude while still maintaining a perfect formation.

At cruising altitude, the three pilots enjoyed the scenery and let the autopilot do the flying while they flew to the mission area.

 

"So what do you think Schroeder's up to with Mihaly?" Seymour asked.

 

"I don't know." Wit sighed, "Perhaps with Mihaly resting for a bit this might give Schroeder some time to evaluate the data he's acquired so far."

 

"I think he's pushing the man too hard." Luca retorted.

 

"Mihaly just wanted to fly again...the sky is all he really cares about," Seymour said, "He'll be back in the skies before you know it mark my words."

* * *

"I have a visual on Rigley Air Base." Wit said, "Sol 3 let's attack the transport planes. Sol 6 you provide the electronic jamming."

"Copy that...Music is on." Luca said as he turned on the Morgan's IEWS.

Wit and Seymour locked onto their targets and fired the KH-49 Kedge missiles. The missiles rained down on the IUN C-17's still sitting in the parking area as the air raid sirens began to sound.

"AIR RAID AIR RAID! GET THOSE FIGHTERS AIRBORNE NOW!" Shouted the Rigley AFB Air Traffic Controller.

Luca quickly spotted two IUN F-16s about to take off and strafed them with the 30mm cannon destroying them both before they could taxi onto the runway. Seymour and Wit decided to take advantage of the chaos and went around for another pass destroying several refueling stations and ammunition storage buildings in the process.

"Sol 3 here, it looks like some fighters managed to get airborne."

"I'll take care of them. You two deal with the ground targets." Luca said as he engaged the bandits.

 

Luca moved in to engage two Osean F-15s which had just entered the mission area to support their allies. Both planes fired their radar guided AIM-120 AMRAAM's at his Morgan which forced him to switch the IEWS back on. Both of the AIM-120's went stupid and missed the Morgan completely and he retaliated with a Sidewinder shot, splashing the first Eagle before going into the merge and entering a dogfight with the second one. When he was within gun range he lined the pipper up with the F-15 and fired a three-second burst, ripping the second F-15 apart.

"Rapier 3 respond!" The F-15C's wingman said.

"You guys should be good for now."

"Mihaly taught you well!" Seymour said.

Soon after shooting down the two F-15s, AWACS Roxman crackled over the radio, "Good job Sol Squadron. Keep on attacking those targets. Pay them back for what they did at Farbanti."

"Copy that, Roxman." Wit said.

Seymour and Wit continued to attack their targets until they were buzzed by a single bandit. Luca visually identified the bandit as a lone F-22A and spotted the distinctive Ribbon Emblem on its tail.

"The Ribbon Emblem...you're the one who single-handedly shot down Yellow Squadron fifteen years ago. Now it's time to pay you back..."

"That isn't who I think it is," Seymour said.

"Mobius One...I've heard the stories," Luca replied.

"You can't take him on by yourself Sol 6. Let's return to base." Wit added in an authoritative tone.

Wit and Seymour quickly rejoined formation and set course to return to base and Luca lagged behind the formation.

"Sol 6 close up formation and retreat! It's suicide to take on The Ribbon Fighter alone!" Wit ordered a second time.

Luca sighed deeply and a short pause followed until his voice finally crackled over the radio, this time more serious than ever...as if he had been possessed, "Sol 2 and Sol 3...retreat. I'll buy you some time...I have a personal score to settle with this Mobius One."

Wit tried to order Luca to return base but his orders fell on deaf ears. Instead, he went into the vertical to engage the lone the Raptor. It was time to pay the Ribbon Fighter back for the death of his father fifteen years ago. Luca switched communications to the IUN frequency and was now able to hear AWACS SkyEye's voice on the radio.

"Mobius One it looks like you've got a single bandit. It's a Morgan, you're cleared to engage. Shoot down the Morgan at all costs." SkyEye said.

Mobius One responded by firing a Sidewinder at the Morgan and pulling a hard 9G turn. The Pilots near superhuman maneuverability took Luca by surprise as he tried to keep up. He switched to his last Sidewinder and locked onto the Raptor, once he had tone he fired the missile and watched as it streaked towards the F-22. Mobius One quickly deployed flares and dove towards the deck to evade the missile with Luca still in hot pursuit.

"So this is the infamous Experimental Squadron eh?" SkyEye said, "The first two run away yet one stays behind to fight. Could it be Mister X himself?"

Mobius One's silence disturbed Luca. During the numerous high G maneuvers, he didn't even hear the enemy pilots breathe. It was no surprise that this man was credited with almost single-handedly defeating the Erusean military and the Yellow Squadron in the Continental War and it was no surprise that even the Erusean people feared him. There was no way the man flying that F-22 could be human and now Luca was finally fighting him.

When Luca saw an opportunity to strike he fired the Morgan's 30mm cannon and the rounds impacted the F-22's fuselage. The impact caused damage to the ailerons and the right engine but Mobius One was still combat effective. Suddenly the pilot performed a Kulbit maneuver and fired a burst from his M61A2 cannon in retaliation causing damage to the Morgan's right wing and engine. Mobius One locked onto the Morgan and then fired two AIM-120s. Luca switched on the IEWS and prayed that the missiles would miss. The IEWS did as advertised until it finally overheated and ceased to function.

Even with the damage sustained, Mobius One and Luca were still in the fight. Mobius One fired another burst from his Raptor's M61A2 Vulcan. This time the rounds connected with the Morgan's right engine and finally forcing Luca to shut it down. The control surfaces and the wings also were hit too. The ADFX-01 was now critically damaged and all Luca could do was try and survive against the IUN pilot until suddenly the enemy AWACS ordered the bandit to cease fighting.

"Mobius One. Head home...your plane's sustained serious damage. The top brass is going to want to hear your report about your latest encounter today." SkyEye ordered.

* * *

Like a ghost Mobius One disappeared just as quickly as he arrived and Luca's plane was severely damaged. He surveyed the damage and saw that one of the vertical stabilizers was missing and the plane was riddled with so many holes that it might as well have been a flying swiss cheese yet it still remained airborne. A testament to Belkan engineering. Luca switched back to a friendly frequency and contacted the friendly AWACS to confirm his status. 

"Sol 6 here..." Luca said, trying to catch his breath.

"SOL 6!" Roxman replied, "What's your status?"

"Severe damage. I'm losing oil pressure too...damage to control surfaces as well. I might be able to make it back to base."

"Copy that, Sol 6. What's your ETA?"

"At my current speed...about four or five hours but I’m leaking fuel like a geyser, Roxman. I don’t think I’m gonna make it," Luca said.

Roxman paused for what felt like an eternity until his voice finally crackled over the radio again, “I-I will radio your last known position to allied ground forces. If you can make it to friendly territory then please bail out, Sol 6.”

Luca watched the fuel gauge carefully and reduced power yet the fuel quantity continued to drop rapidly because of the massive fuel leak from the severed wing. He was able to maintain control of the ADDX-01 but as he was nearing the divide between Erusean and enemy territory the fuel indicator dipped into the red until the left engine finally flamed out. 

"Looks like i'm gonna have to take you up on that offer, Roxman! Give my best to the Princess and tell the old man that I did the best that I could!" 

Left with no choice he pulled the ejection handle between his legs and ejected from his crippled Morgan. As his parachute deployed he watched as his plane finally smashed into the ground below. When he parachuted onto the ground, he removed his parachute as quickly as he could and tried to figure out where he was within the vast Usean landscape. Luca grabbed his survival pack and pulled out the MP9 in it along with three magazines. Luca began making his way west in order to try and make it back to base. After several hours of walking the sun began to go down. With night beginning to fall he decided to take a rest before continuing his journey. With the cover of the night, it would increase his chances of being able to evade any patrols he might encounter.


	9. Safe & Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, I came up with a name for Rosa Cossette d'Elise's dog. Because in the actual game he didn't have an actual name. Well unless you count Jpeg Dog which is a meme in the world of Ace Combat.

Rosa was sitting at her desk reading A Blue Dove for the Princess. The book was a fairytale that Rosa's mother used to read her when she was just a child. Reading made it easier to keep calm after finding out about Luca's fate during the previous sortie and it allowed for her to escape into her own little world if only for a little while.

She was startled by a knock on the door. Rosa placed a bookmark on the page she was on and closed the book. She opened the door to see Ionela standing in the hallway.

"Are you okay, Rosa?" Ionela asked.

"I-I'm fine," Rosa sighed.

"No you're not...even Ollie could sense something's wrong," Ionela replied as she pet the Golden Retriever that had come to greet her at the door

"I overheard Wit and Seymour having a conversation with Roald and Hermann. He was shot down by The Ribbon Fighter. He was trying to protect them. So far he's been missing for three days..."

"The Ribbon Fighter?" Ionela asked, raising an eyebrow as she sat down on the couch.

Rosa sighed deeply and laid her head to rest on her desk, "Yes...I have heard stories about him before. He's considered to be a living demon and yet Luca had the bravery to face him to protect his wingmen."

"This is a bit more personal Rosa..." Ionela emphasized, "A-Are you two together now?"

Ionela's question blindsided Rosa. At first, she had no idea how to respond, she drummed her fingers on her desk thinking of how to respond to her friend.

"Y-Yes." Rosa began to blush, "I don't know how to describe it. There is just some kind of connection between us every time we speak to each other and the first time we kissed...I felt like I had found the person of my dreams."

"You two kissed?!"

"Yes...we shared a kiss before he went on that mission to Yinshi Valley. If I have to organize a search party myself to bring Luca back safely then so be it."

As Rosa and Ionela continued their chat, Alma barged into the room which took the two girls by surprise. The little girl had an excited expression on her face as she jumped on the couch to sit next to her sister.

"Rosa Rosa good news! Grandpa Said his friends picked up Luca's signal, Roald and Hermann are gonna go and look for him!" Alma cheered.

"Really?" Rosa said, "That's wonderful news! Did they say when they're taking off?"

"He said they lifted off just a few minutes ago before going back to sleep...he's still not feeling well. But Luca's coming back! Isn't that wonderful?"

 

Rosa could only respond by hugging Alma as tightly as possible. She was relieved to hear that Luca rescue effort was already underway to rescue him. Mihaly despite his cold demeanor wasn't the kind of guy to leave a fallen pilot behind and it showed with Roald and Hermann taking the initiative in the rescue effort.

* * *

The air was humid and the temperature was hot at eighty-five degrees. Luca struggled to breathe and his heart pounded as he trekked through the forest. With the constant rain, he was cold and wet and for the three days, he spent on the ground he was barely able to sleep only getting about twenty minutes worth of sleep in the daytime hours. His plane had gone down in the Chopinburg Rain Forest which was now a disputed territory between the Erusean and Osean militaries.

Luca did the best that he could to battle dehydration and dodge any enemy patrols he might find along the way. He kept on moving until he came to a small abandoned hut near the river. He drew his MP9 and scanned for any potential targets as he made his way into the hut. The hut looked like it had been abandoned for quite some time but it was a good enough place to get some rest before continuing his journey.

"Looks like luck is on my side...maybe I'll rest a while." He said before resting his head on his arm and falling asleep.

The next morning Luca awoke to the sound of heavy rain hitting the Hut's roof. He quickly opened up a plastic bag from his survival kit and filled it to the brim with rainwater. With the bag filled he took a few sips and breathed a sigh of great relief to finally have some fresh water. But the rain soon stopped almost as quickly as it began and Luca had to continue his journey. During the walk, he spotted the crater where one of Ulysses 1994XF04's many fragments had impacted during the 1999 Ulysses Disaster that devastated both Usea and Estovakia. He ascended the hill as quickly as he could, struggling and panting along the way and even crawling until he finally reached the top. When he made it to the top of the hill, Luca was able to look over the massive crater to see that it had filled with water over the past two decades.

At the top of the hill, the roar of jet engines filled the sky and contrails of two jets flying in perfect formation pierced through the clouds. Luca turned on his radio beacon hoping for a returning signal. He waited and waited for a response until he heard three clicks through his headphones which meant that someone was receiving.

"Sol 6 this is Sol 4 on Alpha," Hermann said over the radio.

"Sol 6!" Luca cried.

"Say again for Sol 4."

"I'm alive! Please help!"

For a moment the radio signal became unreadable and Sol 4 and Sol 5 circled around for another pass. Hermann and Roald hoped they could pick up the signal again.

"You're unreadable," Roald added.

"Please state your callsign," Hermann said.

"SOL SIX, SOL SIX! I'm alive, I'm alive please send help!" Luca shouted into the radio.

"Okay, understand you're Sol 6." Hermann said, "What squadron did you transfer to after leaving Roca Roja six years ago?"

"The 68th Experimental Squadron of the EASA!" Luca replied.

"Looks like we've found our buddy, Hermann...glad he's okay," Roald said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's great to hear your voice, Sol 6. Activate your transponder and I'll radio a helicopter to your position." Hermann said, "Someone's going to be really happy to see you."

"Sol 4, we need to head to the nearest tanker and top off. My fuel warning light just came on." Roald said.

Luca switched on the transponder in his survival vest and waited anxiously for rescue to arrive. Everything was quiet save for the chirping of the birds in the forest until the roaring sound of helicopter rotors came within earshot. He looked around until he spotted a CV-22 Osprey in Erusean markings. He put on his orange Boonie hat and popped a green flare, the CV-22's crew chief quickly spotting him.

The pilots tilted the rotors upwards and made the final preparations for landing. The landing zone was a clearing big enough for the helicopter a good distance away from the hill he was standing on to avoid smashing the rotors against the dense brush that surrounded the hill. Luca forgot how tired he was from the past three days he spent on the ground deprived of sleep and food and ran to the Osprey as fast as he could. He ran so fast that he could even give that Sotoan Olympic Sprinter a run for his money. When he made it to the CV-22 he collapsed onto the cabin and was helped onto a stretcher by the crew chiefs.

The CV-22 Rapidly took off and the rotors tilted forward. With enough airspeed the pilots gained altitude and set their nav system for the base Sol Squadron was stationed at. Everything went smoothly until the Osprey's radar warning receiver picked up three incoming threats.

"Bogies on our six!" The co-pilot said.

"Taking evasive action!" The pilot replied as he popped flares in self-defense.

 

The Osprey was suddenly buzzed by a pair of Osean F-18F Superhornets. Lacking speed and offensive weapons the CV-22 pilots began flying a nap of the earth flight pattern to attempt to evade the bandits.

"Sol 4, Sol 5 this is Angelo 6-1! We are being attacked by two Osean fighters and need support ASAP! Where are you?!"

"This is Sol 4! We're headed your way now we'll be there in about two minutes hang on!"

The two minutes felt like eons until the two SU-30M2s from the infamous Experimental Squadron locked onto the Superhornets and engaged them. Knowing that they were spiked the Superhornets quickly disengaged from the Osprey and went on the defensive. The two Flankers quickly splashed the Superhornets and saved the Osprey along with their comrade from certain death.

After the air battle. The rescue helicopter was on final approach to the base, the flight back to the base took much longer than usual but they eventually made it back safely. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon as the Osprey touched down and the ramp lowered. The medical personnel quickly ran into the helicopter and grabbed the stretcher Luca was on and wheeled him to the infirmary. When they arrived they placed him onto a hospital bed and the doctors continued to stabilize and provide him with plenty of water to help keep him hydrated.

* * *

Luca's recovery continued into the next morning. Rosa felt that it was best to visit him in the infirmary and chose to pay him a visit. He sleeping soundly when she pulled up a chair and sat by his bedside. Rosa placed her hand on his, Luca responding by interlocking his fingers with hers. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her, smiling in the process. He was happy to be alive but most importantly to see her again.

"I'm so grateful that you're safe," Rosa said.

"I'm really glad to see you..." He said.

"Luca...can I confide in you?"

"Sure, Rosa What's on your mind?"

"Things weren't always like this..." She chuckled, "I was just a normal person...just like you when Erusea was the Federal Republic of Erusea. Then the Monarchy was restored and by blood relation, I became a Princess and my father is now the King. You and I share similar ideals...we want to see Erusea prosper...we want to see our country whole again and maybe we're wondering whether or not this war is even the right way to go about it."

Luca sighed before trying to reach for his glass of water. Rosa quickly grabbed the glass and handed it to him and he took a long sip before placing it back on the table.

"Rosa, I was eight years old when the Continental War began...I saw a lot of bad things happen. I also witnessed the Free Erusean uprisings of 2006 and 2014. The Federal Republic did some very questionable things and my dad had some negative things to say about their motives...and like Yellow 13 my pops was an honorable man just like his flight lead. You're right though like you, I want to see Erusea whole again...I want our country to prosper but I want us to do it the right way and I just hope your father doesn't lead us down the wrong path. Rose...I know it deep down in my heart that you can stand up to him if he tries to force you to do the unthinkable. With the speeches that you give...with the way you inspire the people..you have the power to do so much good. So if push comes to shove...I hope you'll do the right thing." Luca replied

 

"I'm scared, scared to defy my father's wishes. He said that this war would show the world that Erusea was capable of waging a clean, ethical war." 

 

Luca sat up in the hospital bed and looked deeply into Rosa's eyes, his emotions running wild. He knew that he couldn't blame Rosa for all that's happened over the past three months. She was in a tough position politically and on top of that she was afraid to go against her family but she still needed to understand the realities of war from someone who had faced it.

"Rosa...there's no such thing as a clean and ethical war. If that was the case then I wouldn't have to kill to survive, I wouldn't have been shot down and I wouldn't have been running for my life in the jungle. I wouldn't be laid up in this hospital bed either. Right now I don't know whether to scream or to cry...I-I you know what just forget it," He slammed his arms onto his thighs and let out a sigh of frustration.

"May I ask you something else?" Rosa asked.

"What is it?" Luca said.

"Do you hate me?"

"No...I don't. You're an amazing girl with a big heart and I really mean that and if it weren't for you then I don't know where the hell I'd be right now. Thank you for being there for me, Rosa." He said with a smile on his face.

Luca's words brought tears to her eyes. It warmed her heart that she was able to give him the strength to carry on and make it back alive. He chuckled and gently patted her head which made her pout.

"I feel I can talk to you about anything," Luca said with a smile, "Hmph...almost makes me feel kinda vulnerable too." 

"What do you mean?" Rosa tilted her head to the side.

"Well so far during your visit here I've really been able to open up to you which has been surprising, to say the least. My marriage with Elisa was good but there were certain things I never told her because she simply wouldn't understand. But with you...for some reason, I can talk to you and not worry. Maybe it's because we're both risking something in this whole war. Once again thanks for everything." Luca said as he caressed Rosa's cheek. 


	10. Back to work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve revised this chapter a bit by making some changes to the dialogue and changing the protagonists plane.

* * *

Following his discharge from the infirmary, Luca returned to action almost immediately much to Princess Cossette's chagrin. The Princess tried expressing her disapproval of this decision to the commander and Doctor Schroeder but they shot down her requests without even a hint of hesitation.

"I can't believe this!" Rosa shouted, slamming the door to Luca's room.

"Well good morning to you too. Slam that door any harder and I would've jumped outta my skin. By the way, you should knock first too." He said as he continued to surf the internet on his Laptop.

"Humph! I'm just so angry I can't even think straight right now." She said as she sat down on his bed.

Luca lowered the screen on his laptop allowing the music to still play and rolled his chair over to the distressed Princess. He placed his hand on her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry so much...I'll be okay." Luca reassured her.

"I just don't want something to happen to you again..." Rosa said.

"I feel fine and it looks like I might be the mad scientist's plan B if something happens to Mihaly. But at least with Mihaly...he just wants to fly and this is a perfect excuse for him."

Rosa didn't want to think about the fact that Luca would be the backup plan if Mihaly fell in battle in order to further Schroeder's drone research. It was bad enough that his Granddaughters were having to watch their grandfather torture himself just so he could be used and thrown away and now Luca would be the next pawn in the Doctor's twisted game. As the first song on his computer's music playlist ended the next one that came on was Save the Robots by Institute. Rosa immediately walked over to the desk and slammed the laptop shut, putting it into sleep mode and ending the song.

"Aren't you overreacting just a teeny tiny bit? That's actually a pretty good song." He laughed, "The way I see it. This song is about the loss of our souls, the loss of our spiritual sense. there is a difference between religion and spirituality, right now, we have lost the latter in favor of the former. In losing our spirituality, religion is nothing more than a system of "do this or else," and we have lost our connection to each other, and all living things. Without a soul, without this spiritual connection, a future doesn't really matter much anymore. All we have to look forward to is the results of the soulless masses. When I found out that I lost my family...you could say that my soul had been taken from me or that it was even shattered or stricken." He sighed deeply before continuing, "But then destiny has a funny way of helping one pick up the pieces and I guess you coming along to help me was destiny's way of showing me that maybe I did deserve a second to be happy.”

”I love you, Luca...maybe we are meant to be together. Isn't that what fate is about?” Rosa confessed, catching him off guard.

“I love you too...I really do. But...you’re a Princess and I’m a commoner and I serve under you. I’d just lower your status.”

“Who cares about something as trivial as my status!? Weren’t you even listening to me when I came to visit you in the infirmary!? Like you I too was a commoner, Luca! Why should you let something this trivial stand in the way of your feelings?”

"You have a good point, Rosa. All I ask is that we take things slowly...we shouldn't rush into things. Hey, I know! When this is all over...how's about you and me go on a proper date? There's this Sapinish restaurant that my dad used to go to before the war fifteen years ago. When he was just a young rookie pilot like me. Funnily enough that's where he actually met my mom too...she was a waitress. It's called La Pasarela...it's on Calle Nueve in Farbanti which is Sapinish for Ninth Street and yes the food is really REALLY authentic especially the coffee." He chuckled, "My mom still works there to this day and I'm sure she would love to meet you."

"I'd love that, Luca." Rosa replied, her pout turning to a smile, "By the way, I have to return to the capital to meet with my father. Will you be okay?" She asked, taking his hand.

"Of course I will...your spies Ionela and Alma will most likely keep an eye on me anyway," Luca laughed and winked at the Princess, "All joking aside like me you have a job to do but we can still keep in touch...right?"

"Of course!" Rosa laughed and pulled out her phone which had a case painted in a pink rose pattern to protect it.

"Alrighty then! Thanks a lot, your majesty." Luca laughed and bowed.

Rosa couldn't help but giggle. Even in this tough situation, they faced it was good to laugh every rather than cry. Suddenly their time together was cut short when one of Princess Cossette's servants arrived to escort her to her plane. She gave Luca one last hug and went on her way. He let out a deep sigh before beginning his morning duties and heading to the hangar to meet with Doctor Schroeder.

* * *

Arriving at the hangar, Luca was greeted by the new arrivals an ADF-01 Falken and an SU-57 Felon. The Felon was painted in the signature Sol Squadron paint scheme identical to Wit and Seymour’s SU-30s and the Falken painted in a very distinctive almost blood red color. Doctor Schroeder was present with his clipboard evaluating the two planes while Luca was taken aback by both aircraft.

 

This was his first time seeing an ADF-01. The first thing that caught his attention was the sheer size of the plane. It made the SU-57 look tiny in comparison and the stealth fighter was by no means a small plane.

“Well, i’m glad to see you’re feeling well now.” Schroeder said, his tone lacking any form of empathy, “Ready to get down to business?”

“I only just got discharged two days ago but I guess I can fly again....” Luca replied unenthusiastically.

“Well these are the planes currently available...the Falken is the greatest Grunder Industries has to offer. It was developed from the ADFX-01 which you’ve flown previously.”

“It’s beautiful...i’ve never seen a red fighter plane. If Ferrari started making planes I guess this would be it!” Luca chuckled much to Schroeder’s annoyance.

“Ugh...the purpose of the paint scheme is to make the aircraft is to make the plane distinctive among the others. Why don’t you grow up?”

“Okay okay, I’m sorry.” Luca said, “Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?” He muttered.

“What did you say?” Schroeder asked, his anger building.

“Nothing. Let’s move on...what’s the story with this Felon? She looks like a total beast.” He smiled and gently patted the SU-57's nose.

“Oh...that hunk of junk. The Erusean Government claims that it recently entered service yet it's still finishing its final flight tests. Of course, I don't expect the Erusean Government to be very bright if they have an immature child representing the country on a political level. So it's no surprise they would approve a prototype for combat use." Schroeder said, not even taking his eyes off of his clipboard.

Schroeder's reply was actually offensive to Luca. While the SU-57 had proven to be quite capable during its trials and it was already a fully functional combat aircraft. That was insignificant compared to insulting the Princess which crossed the line in Luca’s eyes. He clenched his fists preparing to punch the doctor but quickly contained his anger to prevent himself from doing something he’d regret.

“With all due respect, Doctor the SU-57 isn't really junk. The plane is still fairly new and it's going to have some growing pains here and there just like the X-02 did. Also, you shouldn't insult the Princess...what she does isn’t easy. She truly cares for her people and her country." Luca retorted.

“Captain Alessio, I do not wish to argue with you about whether or not the SU-57 is a failure or a success or whether or not your girlfriend is competent enough to hold an important political position. In the end, you need to do your job and I need to do mine now get suited up and prepare to sortie. You’ll be evaluating the ADF-01 and Su-57 and I expect zero objections on your end regarding this mission.”

“No...none at all, Doctor...”

* * *

Luca taxied the ADF-01 Falken back to its hangar after completing his test flight. When he was freed from the COFFIN system and released back into the outside world, Doctor Schroeder helped him climb back down from the boarding ladder.

"So how was it?" He asked, "This is the best that South Belka Munitions has to offer aside from the unmanned ADF-11 Raven."

"It was okay at best. My inner child would tell you that the ADF-01 is the coolest thing ever...when I was an Air Cadet I went to the November City airshow shortly after the Circum Pacific war ended. But after flying it well doctor all I can say is that it's a case of never meet your heroes."

Schroeder raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms and Seymour who was cleaning the windshield on his SU-30 nearly fell off his ladder fearing that the Belkan Doctor would actually lose his cool because of Luca's comment.

"What didn't you like about it?" The doctor asked.

"Now hold on hold on first things first." Luca raised his hands and motioned for the doctor to let him continue, "The maneuverability for a plane that makes the F-14 look like a Cessna in terms of size is second to none. It's like a Morgan on steroids but I would expect that 'cause the Falken is supposed to be an evolution of the ADFX-01. Now onto what I didn't like...oh boy. Flying a plane with no proper controls is very weird to me...It's insane to use eye movements to control a sixty-thousand pound plane and unless Grunder or someone else can engineer a way for the flight controls to be controlled by the pilots thoughts rather than their eyes then it’s no wonder the Falken never entered mass production...well aside from the massive price tag. Then again I like to be alone in my thoughts when in my plane and before I enter a battle anyway. "

"So what would you prefer to fly then? Planes do not grow on trees, Captain Alessio. We can't just get you anything that you wish...this isn't some video game where you can just input a cheat code and a plane of your choice magically appears in front of you."

"What about that SU-57 then? Erusea is beginning to hand them out to the more elite squadrons. It almost makes me wonder what could've been if Dad and Auntie were still around and Yellow Squadron got these to replace their SU-37s. The Terminator was one of the best planes in the entire world at the time."

"For your information, the 156th Tactical Fighter Wing's legacy went with not a bang but a whimper when they failed to defend Megalith fifteen years ago. Don't let nonsense such as nostalgia cloud your judgment, Sol 6." Schroeder said.

“I care mostly about this plane having the avionics and the weapons needed to complete my missions and stand up to the pilot with the three strikes when the time finally comes. I Also like it when my special weapon isn't completely worthless when a little cloud shows up...yep the TLS isn't great when there's heavy cloud cover. 'Cause the beam tends to scatter. Of course, if the SU-57 can mount those pulse laser pods on its centerline stations then I'll gladly take it for air to ground missions and have myself a turbo laser equipped starfighter capable of Kulbits and Cobras."

Schroeder responded by rolling his eyes and flipping through the pages in his clipboard. He wrote the work order down for Luca's SU-57 onto the next page and handed it to the crew chief before heading back to the administration office.

"Well damn, Alessio! I didn't think you had the guts to stand up to Schroeder like that!" Seymour added, praising the young pilot.

"I was merely having a conversation with him but I guess he took it as me trolling," Luca shrugged, "It is what it is I guess...all I know is that guy's colder than the Razgriz Straits."

"Good point. That reminds me, you wanna hang out? Maybe have a couple of drinks? Things have been quiet lately so what do you think?"

"Us hanging out?" Luca couldn't help but be surprised by Seymour's offer.

"Yeah, like I said have a couple of beers and just hang out like good buddies would. I mean come on Alessio...I was only teasing you and yes I was a bit skeptical when Wit recommended you to Mihaly and shocked when he let you join. I've known Wit for a long time but with Mihaly, I was expecting him to deny Wit's recommendation but when he approved you joining I was starting to think the man was going senile. By the way...I gotta ask, was Yellow 4 really related to you or were you just pulling Schroeder's leg?"

"Nah, Yellow 4 was like an Aunt to me though...and the caramel chocolates she used to make before the war for the Squadron were great...almost surprised no one got diabetes 'cause of how sweet they were. I sure do miss them...Dad told me that Yellow 13's demeanor really changed the day she died. Not surprising though...they were like one big family just like that squadron from Sand Island nine years ago. That was also the first time Yellow Squadron had ever lost a pilot too."


	11. Suspicious Mind

**July 21st, 2019**

* * *

Seymour was walking through the Hallway with a six-pack of beer in his hands that he had bought when he heard some music coming from Luca's room. He banged on the door and Luca quickly changed the track to something more suited to his tastes before opening the door to see Seymour standing at the doorway with the six-pack beer in his hands. 

"What in the hell are you listening to?" Seymour asked, amused by Luca's reaction. 

"Just some Nirvana! Smells Like Teen Spirit is my favorite track! You're up a bit late by the way." Luca said. 

"What do you have in your hand?" 

"Oh, this? It's just my phone, man. I'm using it to control my playlist!" Luca said awkwardly. 

"No, this..." Seymour replied as he scrolled through Luca's playlists, "Iconic love songs? Oh man...you're in love with Princess Cossette aren't you?" 

"Well she's a really nice girl...hell who am I kidding? She's amazing...and I just can't deny my heart what it wants. I know moving on won't be easy but I guess if we take things slowly then we can have something truly special and most of all I really do care for her...and that smile of hers oh man it's just so radiant it." 

Luca and Seymour sat down on the floor together and looked at each other. He then pulled a beer out from the pack and offered it to Luca. 

"Let's face it, bud you're in love." 

"Come on, Seymour you know I'm not a drinker." Luca protested.

"Shut up and drink the freakin' beer will you?" Seymour ordered as he shoved the can into his friend's hand, "Now what track?" 

"Number eight..." 

The song on the playlist was Can't Smile Without You by Barry Manilow. The two pilots cracked open their beers and began singing along as the song played. With the volume on full blast, Mihaly's granddaughters could hear the music and the singing. The two siblings snuck over to the room and cracked the door open to see Luca and Seymour already getting a bit tipsy as their voices grew louder and louder.. 

"Did you bring your phone?" Alma whispered to her older sister.

"Yeah, why?" Ionela whispered back.

"Film this and send it to Rosa." 

"That's rude, Alma! But it’s a great idea.” Ionela giggled as she pulled her phone out from her pocket.

 

With the first song finally over, Luca went over to his iTunes and selected another song. Something more suited for dancing, this time around it was the Macarena a very popular song and dance from a Sapinish dance and pop duo. 

"Oooooh, it's been a long time since I've heard this!" Seymour said as he stumbled while trying to stand up. 

"Les dance." Luca slurred.

The duo began to dance to the song unaware of the fact that Ionela was filming them. Seymour and Luca performed the dance in a drunken cadence. Alma and Ionela barely managed to contain their laughter as they filmed the two drunken fighter pilots dancing to the Macarena. When she acquired the footage she needed she sent the clip to Rosa via text message and received a reply almost immediately. The two girls exchanged text messages joking about how the boys were dancing and how dated the song was when Rosa finally looked up how old the song really was.

* * *

**July 23rd, 2019**

Mihaly's Granddaughters watched as their Grandfather and Luca inspected their planes for their next mission. As he finished checking his new SU-57's front landing gear strut he moved onto the nose and noticed a small little easter egg painted on it. It was a small Erusean rose emblem similar to the one painted on the Princess Rosa's C-2. The little touch made Luca chuckle and the quality of the work was spot on too.

"Did you two do this?" Luca asked.

"I did the stenciling and Alma did the painting, Rosa requested it before she left. She said it would keep you safe." Ionela said with a bright smile on her face.

"I wonder how the EASA will feel about this..." Mihaly said, shaking his head as he looked at his Granddaughter's handiwork. 

"So a little good luck charm huh? I like it and don't worry, Mihaly!" Luca patted his back much to the aces chagrin, "My plane is still painted in the correct 68th Experimental squadron markings anyway so I think we should be just fine."

Mihaly shrugged and finished up the final checks on his SU-30SM. He handed the list back to the crew chiefs and climbed the boarding ladder, Luca doing the same and boarding his SU-57. The ground crew quickly moved his Granddaughters away from the two planes as they began their startup procedures and they taxied to the runway. 

"Captain Alessio...Doctor Schroeder has to evaluate you on this mission. " 

"Why would he want to evaluate me? Compared to you I lack experience." 

"Regardless, there's a data recorder in your plane. It'll record all of your battle data on this mission. Just refrain from dancing this time..."

"What are you talking about, Mihaly?" Luca chuckled nervously. 

"I saw a video that Ionela filmed of you and Seymour two nights ago. You two were drunk and dancing like imbeciles to that idiotic song. I swear I have two children for wingmen..." Mihaly scolded.

"You mean two more children." Wit added as he pointed to his Granddaughters.

"AAAAAY Macarena!" Alma giggled. 

"Just get ready for the briefing..." Mihaly sighed as he closed an inspection panel on his SU-30SM and headed to the ready room. 

"You two dimed me out." Luca said, pointing at the two sisters with an emotionless expression on his face. 

"We thought it would be funny." Alma said, genuinely feeling guilty that she had gotten him in trouble. 

"Ahhh I'm just teasing! It's no big deal...Mihaly doesn't really seem to have much of a sense of humor. No offense by the way."

Luca gave the two girls a hug and busted out laughing. Alma and Ionela then looked at each other and back at Luca before joining in on the laughter. 

"Thank Goodness...you had us worried there for a second." Ionela laughed as she wiped the imaginary sweat from her forehead, "I did send the video to Rosa too." 

"I'm glad...it's an old dance too. A dance that I have not danced since..." He chuckled before patting Alma's head, "Anyway I gotta get going...take care you two." 

"Bye-bye, Luca!" Alma said as she waved.

* * *

Luca arrived at the briefing room and took a seat next to Wit and Seymour. Once again Doctor Schroeder would be the one who would be handling the briefing. 

"Now that you are all here let's begin the briefing. The Osean Penal Squadron succeeded in destroying a major oil refinery at Artiglio Port just twenty-four hours ago. This is a major setback as that refinery was a major supply line for the Erusean drones. Several fuel trucks attempted to escape in the cover of Megastorm Inessa 2 unfortunately, they were all wiped out. Your orders are to retaliate..."

Schroeder then shifted his gaze to Luca and adjusted his glasses. It looks like Mihaly wasn't kidding when he said that the Doctor had something in store for him. 

"Captain Alessio...for this mission I will be evaluating you alongside Mihaly for this operation. I really want to see just how capable you are." Schroeder said, his tone sparking intimidation even in Seymour and Wit. 

"Yes doctor.." Luca replied, "Now what will we be doing for this retaliation?" 

"Your mission will another strike operation against the enemy. Osean aircraft have been routinely bombing Erusean supply lines near the Gnome Ravine for the past two weeks. Rigel Squadron attempted to eliminate the threat but was wiped out by an unknown ace...supposedly the Ribbon Fighter is to blame for this. If that is the case then you will engage and destroy the Ribbon Fighter and any planes flying with him." Schroeder said, "Are there any questions?" 

"What about that Penal Unit...any information on them?" Wit asked.

"The Penal unit is intended to perform high-risk operations in order to clear the way for conventional Osean forces. All of the pilots serving in the unit have been convicted of various crimes ranging from minor to heinous and are considered to be expendable. While they were responsible for the destruction for the refinery at Artiglio Port...they were not the squadron responsible for the attacks against the Erusean forces at Gnome Ravine. If they do arrive though then be prepared because Three Strikes will most certainly be present and out for blood."

"We're an experimental squadron, Doctor Schroeder...why call on us for the regular Air Force's dirty work?" Seymour asked.

"Because Sol Squadron is supposed to be the best and this would be the perfect opportunity to gather further data from Mihaly and now Luca or are you forgetting? You're all dismissed..." 

After the briefing, Sol Squadron viewed the map of the Gnome Ravine and the route they would be taking for their mission. While Mihaly looked forward to taking to the skies once again. Luca began to grow suspicious of Doctor Schroeder's intentions as time went by wondering whether or not the missions he completed with Mihaly and his wingmen were for the good of Erusea or simply for Schroeder's personal gain. While he wished he could investigate further, it was simply above his pay grade. 

"Hey, Sol 6! Are you paying attention? We need to get going!" Wit interrupted.

"Uh yeah...um sure, sorry about that, Wit...just had something on my mind." Luca said. 

"Let me guess, the Princess?" Wit chuckled as he nudged his shoulder.

"Not gonna lie, I think about her every now and then but this time around it's something else."

Wit nodded as Luca put his headphones into his ears and closed the door behind him. The four pilots headed to the hangar where they boarded their planes and began the startup procedures and awaited permission to taxi to the runway for take off. Luca looked around the SU-57's cockpit and familiarized himself with it before lowering his sun-visor and turning on his helmet-mounted display. 

"Time to go.." He said as his wingmen taxied ahead of him.


	12. Deja Vu

* * *

Sol Squadron arrived at the area of operations and quickly began to engage the enemy. When Luca switched to his SU-57's Pulse Lasers, Schroeder's data recorder immediately began recording. He quickly switched on his music player and selected his custom playlist that he had made for the operation.

"Sol 2 and Sol 3 work together and form an element, Sol 6 you're with me," Mihaly ordered. 

"Roger!" Sol 2 and Sol 3 said.

This battle would be different from the battles of the past. The Oseans and their IUN counterparts had now supplemented their fourth generation fighters with F-35Cs and even F-22s so things could get dicey quite easily. Luca selected his target, an IUN F-35C from Golem Squadron. The F-35 put up a hell of a fight as it dodged the incoming PLSL fire from the SU-57 and performed a hard left turn bleeding off its energy. While the F-35 lacked thrust vectoring unlike the SU-57 its nose pointing ability still made it a serious threat.

"Sol 6 watch out he's on your ass!" Sol 3 shouted. 

«That SU-30 shows up again huh? Looks like he's brought some friends too...time to settle this and pay that son of a bitch back for Brownie. Golem Squadron this is Golem One...let's give these Erusean bastards a nice ass whipping.» Golem One said as he set his sights on Luca's SU-57.

"Hmph...and to think our paths would cross again," Mihaly muttered to himself.

Golem One refused to let the SU-57 go and fired a burst from the gunpod. Luca banked hard right and fortunately, the rounds missed but he had bled a lot of his energy. He quickly applied full afterburner and the plane rapidly regained the lost speed but Golem One was still on his six. Luca had yet to fully test the agility of the SU-57 and compare it to the Morgan he had flown before. When the bandit lined up for a missile shot, Luca slowed down to five hundred kilometers per hour and pulled back hard on the stick executing a Kulbit maneuver. The hunter had now become the hunted as Luca fired a long burst from the PLSL obliterating the F-35C. 

«OH CRAP! That SU-57, he shot down Golem One!» Golem Three said frantically, «Faun it looks like you're taking over command now!»

With Golem Squadron finally dealt with. A flight of three F-35C's and one F-22 entered the mission area. Sol Squadron rejoined formation and faced the bandits head-on all the way to the merge. When the planes merged, Luca caught a glimpse of the F-22's tail spotting the infamous Ribbon emblem. It was Mobius One and he was back for another round.

«Omega 11 engaging...» Said the F-35 pilot. 

Luca's heart rate picked up as he prioritized Mobius One. The F-22 began a steep climb and Luca performed an Immelmann turn to give chase.

"Sol 6 we're here to provide support! Just say the word!" Sol 2 said.

"Don't even think about it! This bastard is mine!" Luca said.

"Are you insane!? You can't take on the Grim Reaper by yourself!" Sol 3 protested.

"This is his fight...do not interfere. Instead, focus on dealing with the other bandits." Mihaly ordered. Maintaining his calm and collected demeanor as always. 

Luca's comrades could hear as he strained through the G forces while he tried to keep up with the infamous IUN pilot. Just like before in the previous battle when he was shot down, the bandit didn't even speak. Suddenly the veteran ace and his young opponent now faced each other head-on. Luca and Mobius One acquired a missile lock and fired their infrared-guided missiles at each other almost at the same time hoping for a kill. Instead, both missiles smashed into each other leading to a spectacular fireball taking even the seasoned IUN pilot by surprise.

 

"What the hell!?" Luca exclaimed.

 

Mobius One switched on the F-22's airbrakes and performed a barrel roll and now he was on Luca's six. Mobius One fired a burst of 20mm at the SU-57 in hopes of shooting it down but Luca succeeded in dodging the rounds. He quickly performed a Cobra maneuver causing the bandit to overshoot. Luca's advantage was short-lived though because Mobius One knew every trick in the book. He took advantage of his low energy state and came around for another pass. Mobius One fired another burst from the Raptor's 20mm cannon this time the rounds connecting and damaging the right engine forcing him to shut it down.

 

With his instruments still functioning, Luca stayed in the fight and refused to let go of the bandit. He regained his energy by chasing Mobius One all the way down to the deck and using the low altitude to his advantage. With the damage he had sustained, Luca utilized the tactics that Mihaly had taught him in the past and watched as Mobius One reversed his turns in the dogfight which bled his energy while Luca simply lagged behind him. Suddenly Mobius One reversed his turn again and provided Luca with a firing solution. He didn't hesitate to line the Pipper up and fire a long burst from the SU-57's 30mm cannon which ripped off the Raptor's left wing and vertical stabilizer. 

Luca watched as the pilot ejected from his demolished Raptor seconds before it pancaked into the ground. Instead of celebrating he was startled by the ear-shattering warning of his wingmen telling him that he had another bandit on his 12 O'Clock. The attack took him completely by surprise leaving him unable to evade as the bandit opened fire with their F-35's cannon. The rounds from the cannon connected ripping off half of the right wing, causing Luca to lose control of his SU-57.

"Mayday mayday! Sol 6 has been hit I repeat he is hit!" Sol 2 said. 

"I-I can still fly!" Luca said, "Don't count me out!" 

"You're no good out here if you're critically damaged...return to base, Sol 6." Mihaly ordered, "Sol 2 escort him back." 

"Copy that, Sol 1." Wit replied.

During the return flight back, Luca surveyed the damage of his SU-57 once more and let out a deep sigh. This would be the second plane he had damaged in battle but this time he would make sure that he would return to base successfully. To try and ease his mind he decided to engage in some friendly banter with Wit. 

"What I'd give to go back to a Tomcat..." Luca said as he checked his instruments.

"You have a death wish or something?" Wit laughed, "Wasn't that the plane that tried to kill you?" 

"That was an F-14A with those God awful TF-30s. It was also clapped out airframe they pulled outta storage for us nuggets...pretty much all of the planes there were, hell even the flight lead's MiG-29 was basically scrap but with the Erusean economy the way it was at the time we just didn't have the money for brand new planes for the training squadrons. If the F-14D wasn't so hard to come by I'd try to get my hands on one but Erusean Navy keeps a tight grip on them. Specially the squadron stationed at Snider's top, they love them for fleet defense and with the upgraded avionics and the modern engines from the F-16 they don't suffer a compressor stall if you so much as sneeze at the throttles. It would be nice to take the Princess up too..."

"I hear ya..." Wit replied, "Things start looking up when we win this war. Perhaps even Voslage...my homeland can one day regain its independence too."

"I hope so, Wit...and when that does happen I hope we can remain, friends, Seymour too." 

Wit laughed at Luca's comment and looked through the canopy of his SU-30M2 at his fellow pilot. For a brief moment, the two pilots made eye contact with each other.

"Of course we can. We've been friends for six years...ever since we met at Roca Roja and even though Seymour may have given you shit at first. He actually respects you...and that's saying a lot." Wit replied.

* * *

Doctor Schroeder watched as Luca and Wit approached the runway and touched down together. The SU-57 taxied into the parking area and the ground crews rushed over to the plane and attached the boarding ladder to the cockpit. The doctor witnessed Luca stumble out of the cockpit and walked over to the doctor with the data recorder in hand.

"Well...I guess I've underestimated you. Not many pilots can say they've managed to land a plane with one wing. There was a famous ace during the Belkan War...Solo Wing Pixy was his callsign if I recall correctly." Schroeder said as he took the data recorder.

"I heard the stories...Larry Foulke was his name. He defected to A World With No Boundaries when Belka dropped seven nuclear weapons in the Waldreich Mountains...can't say I truly blame him. While his method was wrong...his idea was right. In his memoirs, he stated that we need to entrust the future to the next generation. And doing it like this...with these drones is not the right way. I'll make it very clear to you that I don't trust you one bit and in the end, we're simply working together to finish a job." He said coldheartedly. 

"That's right...I'm Belkan. Born and raised and I say that with pride. Ever since those bombs fell and when the war came to a close my people scattered all across the world with one goal. To breed wars...to have our revenge. If you were in my shoes you would do the same, Luca because deep down inside you're a killer and losing those close to you only freed that desire. The desire for revenge..." 

"I'm nothing like you..." Luca snarled.

"You say that now...because you are young and naive like the Princess but soon enough you'll see the light. One more thing, if you tell anyone about this little exchange between us then let's just you won't be coming back from your next sortie." 

"Threaten me all you want...but let me tell you something, Schroeder. If you have a soul...even or even an ounce of empathy you'll realize the effects your actions have on normal people like me and Mihaly. Maybe one day you'll feel the pain of those you've betrayed and the promises that you've unmade...and right then I hope you'll atone for your sins."

After saying what was truly on his mind to Schroeder, Luca walked to the mess hall and was greeted by Alma who ran over to hug him. The hug from the little girl took him by surprise and even brought back some memories. 

"Hey, Alma..." Luca said.

"Are you hurt? We saw your plane come in...it was missing a wing!" Alma said as she sat down next to him. 

"I'm fine...I gotta ask you. How come you two even talk to me? Schroeder did say that you both prefer to keep to yourselves after all." He chuckled as he opened his water bottle and took a long sip.

"A friend of Rosa's is a friend of ours. You also keep Grandpa safe and that means the world to the two of us because he is all we have." Ionela added.

"Not this time...I had to come back because my plane ended up getting damaged in battle...I failed." 

"No, you didn't. You did your best...and I know Grandpa's proud of you." Ionela reassured. 

"Thankies..." He chuckled, "I do the best that I can to make sure that your Gramps makes it back in one piece. He teaches me a thing or two as well."

"Do you think this war will end soon, Luca?" Alma asked.

"I hope so...I'll do my best to make sure that it ends as soon as possible. I know Rosa is doing the same as well and hopefully her father and the top brass too." Luca replied. 

"I hope so as well." Ionela sighed, "Alma and I are going to go and wait for Grandpa to come back. Will you be okay without us?" 

"Yeah. I'll be just fine, I gotta call Rosa today anyways. I promised her I'd speak to her when I had the chance and it looks like today is that chance. You two take care...and hang in there."

* * *

Luca sat down at his desk and unlocked his phone and looked through his list of contacts until he found Rosa. He tapped her name and put on his headphones and waited as the phone rang and rang. As the phone was about to reach its last ring, someone finally picked up on the other side.

"Hello?" The person said.

"May I speak with Princess Cossette please?" Luca asked.

"This is she." Rosa replied, "It's really nice to hear from you again, Luca."

"Yeah...same here. I missed you..." He sighed.

"I missed you too. Are you okay? How are things over there with Alma and Ionela?" 

"They're hanging in there. The squadron is doing fine too...my new plane came back with some damage after its first battle, just my luck right?" He sighed and looked out the window at the tarmac, watching Mihaly and Wit finally tax into the parking area as the sunset over the horizon. 

"What is important is that you're safe. Those planes can always be replaced but your life cannot..." 

"Good point." He chuckled. 

"By the way. I saw that video Ionela sent me of you and Seymour and let's just say your dance moves are quite unique." She giggled.

"Oh God...don't make me feel worse." He mumbled, clearly embarrassed. 

"It was cute...it made my night. I never knew you could dance so well." She joked.

"Laugh it up...anyway how are things over there? Are you doing all right?" 

"Things are getting somewhat worrisome but I'll manage. I overheard my father talking about the possibly deploying one of those Arsenal birds again. If that is the case then he's truly underestimated the Oseans." She admitted, "I have to go now, Luca...I have to prepare for another speech tomorrow. Be safe okay?" 

"I will...and I'll be sure to catch your latest speech on the TV. Take care, Rose..." 

"I love you, Luca..." Rosa said...as if she truly meant it.

"I-I love you too." He replied, his hand beginning to shake as he held the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Luca plugged it into the wall charger and laid down on his bed. As he was gazing at the ceiling he wondered whether or not the space elevator really was the problem and what the real cause for this war was. He wondered what he was truly fighting for and he was curious about whether or not Rosa felt the same way.


	13. Fall of Farbanti

**September 19th 2019**

* * *

Osea was on a large winning streak as of late. They had succeeded in wiping out the Njord Fleet and destroying the Arsenal Bird Liberty by utilizing one of the old Stonehenge railguns which drastically reduced Erusea's ability to retain air superiority over the Usean continent and defend Gunther Bay as Arsenal Bird Justice alone wouldn't have the range to compensate. With the Arsenal Bird threat handled the Osean military then launched a successful surprise attack led by the infamous three Strikes and the LRSSG to destroy their IRBM launch silos. With Erusea's final offensive capabilities destroyed they then triumphed in taking the Air Force Base in Cape Rainy. Meanwhile, Doctor Schroeder was still evaluating Mihaly's data to compare how his skills evolved from when he was younger to himself as a pilot now.

 

"Hey, Ionela...you okay?" Luca asked.

Ionela let out a deep sigh and looked at him. He could see the anger in her eyes because of the suffering the Doctor was putting her Grandfather through.

"Not really. The Doctor recently ordered a new flight suit for Grandfather. It is supposed to make it easier for him to tolerate the G forces and yet I find that hard to believe. Grandfather remains indifferent, unfortunately..."

"That's Mihaly for you...deep down he loves you and Alma but the sky is something pretty dear to him as well." Luca sighed and placed his hand on Ionela's shoulder, "Look, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Me and the others have got your Grandpa's back. Things are heating up right now for Erusea so we'll have to depart for the capital soon."

"I've heard...just be safe. It would devastate Rosa if she lost you."

 

"We can beat them if we put the effort into it. I had the mechanics buff up my SU-57 a little bit after replacing the wing. It should surprise even Three Strikes himself." Luca said as he cleaned the sun visor on his flight helmet.

 

"Don't worry, I believe in you."

Before Luca could answer Ionela. Doctor Schroeder's assistant, Massa arrived to inform the pilot that Mihaly and the others were waiting for him on the ramp.

"It's time to go, sir." The young assistant said, "Don't worry I'll make sure Mihaly's Grandchildren are looked after."

"Okay...good." Was all Luca could say.

Luca arrived at the parking area. Mihaly and the others were already geared up and ready for action. Luca's SU-57 and the rest of Sol Squadron's SU-30M2's were loaded with air to air ordinance while Mihaly's SU-30SM was loaded with anti-ship missiles. This would be the toughest battle and this time Mihaly was prepared with the new flight suit that Schroeder had provided him with.

"So what's the plan? Things are looking quite bleak." Wit said.

"We will rendezvous with Roald and Hermann and head for the battlefield. The Oseans may think that their victory is imminent but with all that I have taught you we can turn the tide of battle." Mihaly said in his usual stoic manner.

"Let's do this." Seymour said.

"Onwards to victory!" Luca added, raising an imaginary broadsword which made his wingmen chuckle.

The pilots boarded their planes and strapped themselves in. Once the ground crews removed the boarding ladders they began the startup procedures. With the planes ready to taxi they headed to the runway. Mihaly's Granddaughters watched as the planes taxied down the taxiway and waved goodbye to their Grandfather and his wingmen. Mihaly and Luca waved back while the others remained focused on the task at hand and checked their instruments. Once at the runway the four planes took off in perfect two-ship formations and headed for Farbanti once again. The flight would be intense and would put Sol Squadron to the ultimate test as they would be Erusea's ace in the hole in this desperate time.

* * *

Because of the long flight, Sol Squadron would have to refuel before linking up with Sol 4 and Sol 5. The four planes lined up behind an Erusean IL-78M Midas tanker and each pilot stated their fuel state. The three pilots with the least fuel went to refuel first while the pilot with the most fuel waited his turn. That pilot turned out to be Luca as his SU-57 was fitted with the new experimental Izdeliye 30 engines for combat evaluation which were more efficient while still having excellent power.

"All right, Sol 6. Let's get that big flying pancake of yours refueled. I'll provide you with instructions, so just follow my lead and you'll be just fine." The Tanker Operator said.

"Flying pancake? Never heard that one before." Luca actually laughed at the joke, "But I guess it works...the SU-57 does look pretty flat."

"All righty...1,500 meters to go. Ready pre-contact."

"Copy that."

Luca moved closer and closer to the tanker gently manipulating the throttle and flight stick with his fingers and making minor corrections to his flight path. At first he made a small mistake and missed the drogue which caused the basket to tap against the canopy. Luca took a deep breath and rolled back the throttle and applied the airbrakes. The SU-57 dropped speed and the drogue was in front of him again. He then gently reapplied the throttle moved towards the basket.

"500 meters to go."

"Roger that." Luca replied.

Finally, Luca was able to put the refueling probe into the basket and began taking fuel from the tanker.

"Good job, Sol 6. You're taking fuel."

Sol Squadron adjusted their communications to an open frequency allowing them to hear both allied and enemy radio chatter. When they arrived at Farbanti. The Erusean forces had already taken heavy casualties in the land,sea, and air. Mihaly dropped altitude and was now skimming the ocean's surface.

«New bogies...no, five SU-30s, and one SU-57 inbound!» AWACS Long Caster said over the radio.

The Osean destroyer opened fire with its CIWS in an attempt to shoot down Mihaly's low flying Flanker but it was no use. Once he acquired a lock he fired two LAGM's and quickly went into the vertical as the two missiles impacted the destroyer sinking it. He then dove towards a second ship this time a frigate firing his last two LAGMs and sinking it with ease before rejoining formation with his squadron.

"There they are. It's the snowbirds." Wit said, "The two leaders are on a different level but it would be unwise to underestimate them."

"This should prove to be fun." Mihaly replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Seymour asked.

"It's just as you said. The enemy has some experienced fighters in their midst." Mihaly answered.

Finally, Cyclops and Strider squadrons acquired a visual on the bandits. Among them was Three Strikes himself. The Osean Ace that had been accused of assassinating the former Osean president and had redeemed himself. He had now succeeded in assisting the Osean armada in steamrolling through the Usean continent all the way to the capital of Erusea.

"That F-22A...with the three scratches on its tail. It's him." Luca said, "Three Strikes..."

A massive furball ensued between the three squadrons. Three Strikes proved to be a formidable adversary as his F-22 easily held its own against the Flankers and was more than equal to the SU-57.

 

"Sol 6 providing cover!" Luca said as he moved to engage an F-35C from Salamander Squadron.

Luca locked onto the bandit and fired a missile. The missile went off the rail and streaked towards the target. Seconds later the missile impacted the F-35 and sent it spiraling towards the ground.

"Good kill, Sol 6!" Roald said.

"Thanks, Sol 5."

Sol Squadron continued to inflict heavy casualties on the Osean forces. If they could just keep pushing then they would be able to prevent them from taking Farbanti. The dogfight between Trigger and Mihaly raged on as Sol Squadron attempted to defend him from the rest of the bandits. To improve Trigger's chances of scoring a hit, Wiseman decided to bait Mihaly into a dogfight. The tactic worked as Mihaly was now on his six.

Trigger fired two missiles. One of them hitting him in a non-critical area and the other missing as Mihaly pulled a sharp right turn to evade and dropped his altitude flying towards the flooded municipal district. The two planes maneuvered together as if they were in an aerial ballet.

"You're quite the entertainer but the show's over with this next shot."

Mihaly and pressed the trigger on flight stick and the missile streaked towards Cyclops One's F-15C. The missile impacting the Eagle and completely annihilating it leaving nothing left.

"He wasn't a bad pilot.." Mihaly said.

With Wiseman down. Mihaly now switched his focus to Trigger. The two aces continued to battle each other in the skies, both pilots showing off their near-superhuman skill. As Trigger was going to fire another missile to finish Mihaly off. Suddenly the IFF and communications systems began to go haywire. Luca looked to the sky towards the sun and saw a series of explosions. It turned out that both Erusea and Osea had managed to destroy each other's satellites which crippled their communications networks all over the Usean continent.

"This is Sol Squadron. Head home. It's not safe to stick around here if we lose our base." Mihaly ordered.

* * *

The pilots arrived back at the base and taxied into the parking area. Night had already fallen and they were exhausted from the mission. Morale from the Erusean military had also taken a major nose dive with the loss of Farbanti but the pilots of Sol Squadron didn't care.

"What do we do now?" Luca asked.

"We're going to refuel and head for Shilage." Wit replied.

"So this is where we make our final stand huh? Well it's been an honor serving with you, Wit. Thanks for believing in me...you too Seymour." 

"We're not giving up just yet." Seymour said, "We are going to fight tooth and nail for Shilage's independence. Shilage Castle will be our new base of operations and the Oseans won't know what hit them" 

Luca shook hands with his comrades and waved goodbye. He headed to the nearby hangar where he saw Mihaly sitting in his usual spot staring up at the stars. He grabbed another chair and took a seat next to him. There was a long silence between the two until Mihaly finally spoke.

"You did well today. I saw a lot of Dave and Anzio in you during today's sortie." Mihaly said. 

"My father and Yellow 13?" Luca asked. 

Mihaly nodded and finally made eye contact with Luca. He thought back to when he was a leading ace in the Erusean Air Force and an instructor teaching the next generation of aces to fight. 

"Yes. When Wit showed me your record and informed me of your potential. I was surprised to find out that Anzio had a son and now he's flying as my number six today. Your flying style is very similar to your fathers as well...I even see a bit of Yellow 13's characteristics as well. And when it comes to your ideals you're exactly like Dave and Anzio. You care about Erusea and yet you value flying so much more than a simple nation. To be honest...I even see a bit of myself in you as well."

Mihaly let out a chuckle which took Luca completely by surprise. Mister X was always known for being such a serious and stoic man so to hear him simply chuckle was quite an experience. 

"It means so much to me to hear that Mihaly...I'm glad I was able to prove to you that I'm worthy." Luca sighed, "By the way what's going to happen to Alma and Ionela?" 

"Schroeder will take them to safety once we head for my homeland. Unfortunately, we may not have time to say our goodbyes. I'll see you on the other side." 

Luca rose from his chair and shook Mihaly's hand. The old man gave Luca one hell of a firm handshake and the two parted ways for now.


	14. Defending Shilage

**October 24th, 2019 Shilage Castle**

* * *

The following morning was so far was uneventful yet very stressful. They had breakfast and awaited their orders while the planes were re-armed for combat. Luca tried his best to enjoy an Erusean military ration instead of the food he was normally used to. It was better than nothing though considering how bleak the situation is. 

"So when do you think the Oseans are going to show up?" Luca asked as he sifted through the contents of his ration pack.

"Who knows?" Seymour answered, "We're down to five planes without Mihaly here. So defending this castle will not be easy and we're guaranteed to be outnumbered when the Oseans finally show up." 

"We have to try...we've come too far just to give up." Wit added. 

"Wit's right, Seymour. We can't let Mihaly down." Luca said as he started heating up his can of ration Ravioli.

Luca took the first bite of his Ravioli and cringed from the taste of it, "Ugh this tastes like crap..." 

"Things have gone to hell anyway. Since Farbanti fell, Erusean forces had splintered into smaller factions are fighting each other as we speak. Thankfully some of these guys are on our side...And the Princess well only God knows where she is. According to friendly communications, her plane was shot down over Tyler Island." Seymour said

Luca nearly choked on his food when he heard the status of the Princess. Wit quickly came to his rescue and slapped his back multiple times until Luca coughed up what he had in his mouth. 

"I-Is she okay!? Did you guys hear anything else!?" 

"Whoa relax!" Seymour replied, "Don't jump to conclusions! Your senses need to be at their peak if you want to survive up there!" 

"Y-You're right." Luca sighed, tossing his leftover breakfast into the trash can.

As Luca was about to sit back down. The air raid sirens started to blare and the roar of jet engines along with the sound of anti-aircraft guns began to shake the chandeliers in the dining hall as allied planes took off to engage the enemy. The Oseans had finally arrived and were already engaging the Erusean aircraft.

"Looks like they're here..." Wit said, "Let's go!" 

Seymour and Luca nodded and followed behind their leader. They through the halls of the castle and into the tunnel to their planes and proceded with the startup procedures. Due to a shortage of weapons, Luca's SU-57 was loaded with more conventional 4AAM missiles as its special weapon instead of the Pulse Lasers.

* * *

"Cancel take off. Sol Squadron, stand by." The Erusean Air Traffic Controller ordered.

"Negative. This battle will be over if we don't get up there along with all hope of restoration." Wit said as he applied throttle, "Don't worry. As long as we accelerate inside the tunnel, they won't be able to shoot us down that easily." 

The pilots applied full afterburner and their aircraft rocketed forward. There was no margin for error as one mistake would lead to multiple planes crashing on takeoff as well as a massive chain reaction if the fuel and ammunition supplies exploded. Once airborne the Sol Squadron pilots broke formation and engaged the LRSSG. 

"Good luck Sol Squadron!" The Air Traffic Controller shouted over the radio.

"You must be the Snowbirds. It's quite absurd for you to be talking so tough after losing one of your leaders in Farbanti." Wit Insulted.

 

"You bastard!" Cyclops 2 hissed. 

"You defiled this country. As long as you're here, this country and its people will never know peace." Wit huffed. 

"Easy for you to say..." Trigger added, "Your country was the one that started this war and we're here to end it. There's no way in hell we're leaving here." 

 

Trigger engaged Sol squadron with his F-22 and targeted Sol 4. He fired a burst from his 20mm cannon and ripped off the SU-30M2's wing easily confirming the kill. 

"I'm hit! Ejecting!" 

"Sol 4's down!" Seymour said.

"I see his chute! He's safe!" Luca blurted.

"Let's pray he makes it to safety." Wit replied. 

Not soon after Hermann was shot down, Roald was the next one to fall prey to Trigger. He fired two missiles at the SU-30M2 its pilot tried to evade. It was no use as the missiles impacted the rear of the fighter and ripped off the rear stabilizers and wings.

"Roald's been hit! Thankfully he's ejected." Seymour said. 

With just Wit, Luca and Seymour remaining. Mihaly himself finally arrived making his presence known by firing a high speed projectile in an attempt to shoot down Strider one. Mihaly was no longer flying his SU-30 but instead, the best Erusea had to offer. The new X-02S Strike Wyvern. With this plane and with Mihaly's skills he would easily have the skills to take on Three Strikes. 

"I'm testing this aircraft...You must find your own sky." Mihaly said stoically. 

"We can still help you," Wit said. 

"If we can work together we can beat them, Mihaly!" Luca added.

"Don't waste your lives. Dedicate it to reclaiming that which you call home. Furthermore, you must find someone to guide you… I am not that person. And Wit... continue to educate Sol 6 and help him hone his skills. Perhaps one day he will surpass us both."

"Mihaly..." Wit bowed his head and paused briefly, "Voslagian Squadron will be retreating. Those fighting below are advised to temporarily withdraw, that means you too, Sol 6. Don't die. As long as we're alive, our hopes and dreams can continue to live on." 

Luca contemplated whether or not to follow Wit's orders or stay and fight alongside Mihaly. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and sighed deeply and joined formation with Wit and Seymour. The trio quickly left Voslagian airspace and headed for friendly territory to regroup with the allies they had left.

"So we're just going to leave him behind to fight Three Strikes and his friends?" Luca asked, his voice showing a hint of sadness, "It's as if we're abandoning our own father...the man who raised us." 

"I understand exactly how you feel, Sol 6 but this is what Mihaly wanted and we simply cannot reject his wishes." Wit confessed.

"Keep your chin up, Sol 6...you've done well these past few years. Mihaly would be proud...don't feel like you abandoned him. Because that's the exact opposite of what we did..." Seymour added.


	15. Aces United

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This contains spoilers to the ending of AC7.

**October 31st, 2019**

* * *

The battle over Gunther Bay was already in full swing when the LRSSG arrived. Osea and Erusean rebels had formed a coalition against the radical factions to bring an end to the war. Sol Squadron was already arriving at the mission area when the Osean HQ began broadcasting on an open channel.

"To all of you who have gathered here, regardless of your country. This is headquarters of the Osean Army Southern Command. Wait, you can forget that designation. We are a coalition formed exclusively for the sole purpose of taking down the Arsenal Bird. Wait until we're ready to strike the Arsenal Bird in unison." The Osean HQ Commander said. 

"What's he doing speaking on an open channel? The enemy can hear everything he's saying!" Strider Two complained. 

"There's no other choice. The Erusean aircraft are in the coalition as well." Strider Three replied. 

 

As Strider Squadron began engaging the enemy. A familiar voice crackled over the radio...the Experimental squadron had finally shown up but this time as friends. 

"This is Sol 2. Republic of Voslage are also moving to rendezvous." Wit said.

"There's only one Squadron though," Seymour added. 

"Sol 6 here...never in my life did I think I'd be flying on the same side as Three Strikes himself..." Luca said, "Guess fate has a strange way of bringing us all together."

"Count! Ease up, engagement is forbidden." Long Caster ordered.

"Don't worry, I know. We need every bird we can call upon. Even if they were flying with the guy that killed Wiseman..." 

"They manned aircraft leading UAVs in slave mode." Wit confirmed.

While the fight raged on overhead. An unknown voice began broadcasting via a signal from the space elevator. She had with her a list of goals she wanted to be met in order to end the war. 

"Okay. commencing transmission. I'm speaking over both terrestrial and video transmission networks. It's not important who I... no who we are. First, our goals. Destroy the space elevator. Second, we want power to the drone factory cut in order to put a stop to all of the war and chaos that its products cause. And last, we want to put an end to this pointless war that has given rise to a state of anarchy." The woman said, "Let me tell you what's going on right now. The land is overrun with refugees who have lost their homes. This is no isolated incident. In spite of that, the war continues to rage on overhead. Hey Cossette...say hello." 

"Hello everyone!" Princess Cossette said.

That transmission really hit home with Luca. This war was no longer about Erusea but about ending a war that had claimed countless lives including those close to him. But hearing the Princess's voice motivated him.

She's safe! He thought to himself.

With this motivation, Luca was fighting at peak efficiency. Helping his wingmen take down the drones and bandits and even showing Three Strikes what he was capable of. The fun was cut short though when a blue burst of light took over the horizon destroying several planes. 

"Looks like they're getting slick with those Helios missiles eh?" Luca chuckled, "How cute.." 

 

The surviving pilots continued to dodge the cruise missile attacks from the Arsenal Bird until it was finally time to strike. With the Arsenal Bird within range. The Osean-Erusean coalition along with OMDF naval vessels launched every missile they had on onboard in a massive saturation attack. The missiles tracked towards the big unmanned bird until suddenly it powered on its Active Protection System and deflected the missiles.

"SHIT!" Luca shouted, punching his SU-57's glare shield. 

"Relax, Sol 6...we can still win this. We just have to improvise..." Wit assured.

Luca listened to the transmission between the Scrap Queen and Cossette as she was preparing to head into the airlock. Because the Arsenal Bird was close to its power source. It would be impossible for the defensive shield to go down any other way. The Princess began smashing the lights responsible for giving the Arsenal Bird its power. With the lights smashed the shield finally stopped working leaving it vulnerable to attack. 

With the shield down, Trigger and Luca quickly engaged the Arsenal Birds main propellers in hopes of slowing it down. But all they could do was stall them. 

 

"Boils down to destroying the rectenna's base." Wit interjected.

"Say what!?" Count asked.

"If we destroy the docking modules, the supply unit will break off of the Arsenal Bird. That'll leave the rectenna base vulnerable." 

"Light it on fire and we can cook that bird whole!" Seymour added.

"Theoretically. That may prove impossible even for an experienced pilot." Wit said.

"That won't be a problem, Wit." Seymour replied. 

"Yeah, but our guy's more than just an experienced pilot!" Count said with confidence, "Trigger, let's do this." 

"I'm going in too..." Luca added.

"Negative, Sol 6!" Wit protested.

"This needs to end once and for all! And I'm going to help Trigger and Count do just that...if you don't want to follow me then at least watch my ass!" Luca said.

Luca joined formation with Trigger and Count and the trio engaged the Arsenal Bird together. The Arsenal Bird charged its laser cannon and opened fire to try and shoot down the trio but fortunately missed its mark leaving it vulnerable to attack as it recharged for another shot. Luca and Trigger both lined up for a missile shot and quickly destroyed the cannon. With that out of the way, they went after the hooks and joints before the APS unit was finally exposed. The three pilots lined up and each fired upon the APS unit until it finally exploded. With this final blow, the Arsenal Bird was no more. 

 

"You did well, kid..." Trigger said, "Looks like Mister X trained you well." 

"T-Thanks..." Luca replied, "Maybe someday we'll fly together again under better circumstances." 

 

Luca broke Formation with Trigger and count and rejoined with Wit and Seymour. They watched as the Arsenal Bird crashed into the sea. The mission was finally over. The Osean forces ordered the Erusean soldiers on the space elevator’s perimeter to surrender to which they complied voluntarily. Unfortunately, the celebration was cut short when two more blips appeared on radar approaching at high speed. They were ADF-11 Ravens, the most advanced UAVs on the planet. The drones circled the space elevator looking for a signal to transmit their data until they spotted Count’s F-15C and engaged him. They fired a barrage of missiles at him which he tried to evade. He was almost successful until one missile hit him, severely damaging his plane. 

The Princess was also caught in the thick of the action as she was parachuting down from the platform. Fortunately, luck was on her side and she was able to parachute back to safety. With nowhere else to go the coalition forces were forced to land their planes on an Osean aircraft carrier that had run aground and since been abandoned by its crew.

* * *

November 1st, 2019

 

The following day Strider and Sol Squadron along with the rest of the Osean-Erusean coalition returned to the skies to face the drones they had encountered yesterday. Luca looked out the canopy of his plane at his new comrades. The enemies he faced before were now his allies and they were all joined together to fight for the greater good. To bring an end to a pointless war. As Luca began to lose himself in his thoughts, Wit crackled over the radio with some words of encouragement. 

"Alessio...you may have been born an Erusean but nevertheless it is an honor to have you join us for one last flight to take down Hugin and Munin." Wit said. 

"I've been with you guys since day one...up here it doesn't matter where we come from. We've watched each other's backs from the beginning like a family...like brothers and Mihaly has taught me everything I know. He may have been cold at times but deep down the man cared...it's time I repaid him. Let’s finish this..."

"That's what I like to hear, Sol 6!" Count added. 

All of the pilots engaged full afterburner and charged towards the enemy. Hugin and Munin were far more advanced than anything that they had ever encountered before. All the allied pilots heard on their radios was static coming from the drones as they communicated with each other. Strider and Sol Squadron engaged the drones and were busy dodging the lasers or missile barrages from them as they tried to fight back. Hugin and Munin had no issues inflicting casualties on Skoll or Salamander Squadron with their superior maneuverability and firepower. The flying style of the drones seemed more than familiar to Luca as he lined up for a missile lock.

"Perfect movement...just like Mihaly's." 

Were Wit's last words before Hugin shot him down. Static filled the radio waves and there was no chute...this time he didn't make it. The drone's maneuvers all made sense now but unfortunately, Luca was too late to save his friend.

"Sol 2! Wit!" Luca shouted, "You robot bastard..." 

"Wit! Dammit!" Seymour added. 

Luca and Trigger formed an element together and took on Hugin and Munin together. Now it was a battle between two aces and two soulless robots. Luca followed behind Hugin ignoring the missile locks and dodging the lasers fired at him and strained through the G forces until he acquired a lock. Hugin tried to get him to smash into the space elevator as it spiraled around the structure but failed as Luca remained hot on its tail. Once he had a firing solution he fired two missiles and downed the first drone. Trigger had succeeded in destroying Munin as well and the two rejoined formation with what remained of their allies. 

 

"You did good..." Seymour said.

"Thanks..." Luca replied...trying to catch his breath.

"That was definitely the most intense thing I've ever been in. Can't wait to tell my son about it." Strider 3 added.

 

"The space elevator has just powered up. Looks like we made it in just the nick of time. Fortunately, you've prevented data that may have included Trigger or even Sol 6's flying style from leaking. I've got a special bottle of wine for occasions like this. Whattya say we open it?" Long Caster said. 

As Luca was about to respond to Long Caster and celebrate with the rest of his comrades, static filled the radio waves for a moment until a voice finally crackled over the radio.

"Can you hear me?" The voice asked, "There's still one drone left!"

"Who the hell is that? More importantly, I thought Trigger and Sol 6 destroyed all the drones!" Count added.

It was the Erusean Princess. The drone that was thought to have been destroyed had thrown away its wings and was heading into the space elevator.

"That was the Erusean Princess and she's not joking!" Luca said as he caught a visual on the drone, "It's headed for that tunnel!" 

"That tunnel leads to the space elevator. Looks like you're going to have to fly into it Trigger. There should be enough room for you to maneuver."

"Count! Where are you going!?" Strider 3 asked.

"We rely on Trigger too much. He's gonna need help.." Count replied

"I'm going with you both..." Luca said.

"Are you stupid!?" Seymour protested. 

"It's time to put all that Mihaly has taught me to the test... and to avenge Wit. I can't allow his death to be in vain. I'll see you on the other side, Seymour." 

Luca, Count, and Trigger descended into the tunnel. This would put his skills to the ultimate test as the tunnel was narrow and filled with gates that the drone was capable of closing at will. After clearing the first tunnel, the trio spotted the first tunnel and in retaliation, it closed a gate hoping to get its pursuers to crash and burn. Luckily they took another tunnel to avoid a firey death. There was no room for error through these tunnels as Luca yawed and rolled gently in order to maneuver while following Trigger and Count. 

"I heard some static when the gate close. Do you think the UAV is operating the gates?" 

"It wouldn't surprise me, Count..." Luca replied.

Through the maze of tunnels, the drone ambushed the trio and opened fire. It caused serious damaged to the engines on Count's F-15 and some damage to the control surfaces on Luca's SU-57 but both pilots were still airborne.

"You two okay?" Trigger asked.

"Yeah... I can still fly! Bastard just clipped one of my ailerons. Still have full control though." Luca said.

"Lucky you... my wings are fine but I'm losing thrust on both engines! I can still fly though!" Count added.

Finally, the trio arrived at the end of the tunnel. Now they were at the heart of the space elevator where Munin would be able to send its data if they didn't act in time and destroy it. It was now or never as the two aces crossed into a massive circular tunnel with barely enough room for their planes to maneuver. 

"The drone's turning! Shoot it down, guys!" Count said.

"We don't have much time, Trigger... I'll take the repeaters and you go after Munin!" Luca stated.

"Roger that, Sol 6!" Trigger replied.

 

Trigger and Luca broke off. Luca went after the repeaters while Trigger engaged the drone. The two pilots used absolute precision to avoid smashing into one another in the confined space of the space elevator's core. With the last repeater destroyed, Trigger succeeded in shooting down Munin. 

"Yeah baby!" Count cheered, "Hey, I'm being serious here! That's right, we're going home. I thought of a way outta here. The space elevator. The windbreak is hollow and there's no ceiling all the way up. Not sure if my bird can handle it though." Count sighed and looked at the warning lights on his F-15C's dashboard. "Fly! I know you both can make it! I'll attempt a belly landing! Get outta here everyone's waiting for you two!" 

Luca followed Trigger's F-22 into the space elevator's windbreak and pointed his SU-57's nose straight to the horizon. He engaged full afterburner and watched as the digital altimeter climbed and climbed. The two pilots maintained a perfect formation all the way through their ascent to the heavens. 

After ascending out of the space elevator with Trigger. Luca gazed into the dark blue sky and let out a smile. Until another radio transmission crackled through his headset. 

"This is Captain Kei Nagase of the Spaceship Pilgrim One...The Ocean of stars in our galaxy is finally within our reach. To the pilot who generously gave this spaceship a place to dock, we are forever grateful. The universe lies ahead of us waiting to be discovered. And now, at last, we have a gateway to ascent to it. Over and over again. I salute the pilot who gave us all a future. Nagase said."

Luca listened to the transmission and laughed. Despite all that he had lost he had gained so much more in the end. He also learned to forgive Trigger. Once his SU-57 could no longer continue to climb...he spread his arms as best as he could within the confines of the cockpit and allowed the plane to fall back to earth in formation with Trigger's F-22. The two pilots rejoined formation together with the rest of the Osean and Erusean coalition and returned home. The war was finally over...


	16. Epilogue

* * *

Six months after the war had come to a close. Luca finally arrived at the Space Elevator driving his old 1968 Dodge Charger. With the windows down he took in the sounds from the crashing waves from the ocean and the children playing nearby. It warmed his heart to see that after all the chaos...everyone was able to find happiness in the end. 

"If only Wit was here to see this..." Luca mumbled to himself as he parked his Charger next to a nearby truck.

Before getting out of the car, Luca took the locket that was hanging from the rearview mirror that his late wife had given him before the war began. To some, what he was about to do wouldn't make sense but to him, it was his way of finally moving forward. Luca opened the trunk of his car and grabbed a small hand shovel and some Carnation seeds. He dug a small hole and buried the locket. He then refilled the whole and sowed the seeds into the soil and watered them.

 

"Thank you for this new lease on life..."

As Luca was about to get up. He heard a familiar voice call out to him before finally being tackled by a hug. The hug alone was enough to make him start crying.

"Rosa!" Luca said, "I'm so glad you're okay..." 

"I'm grateful you're safe too..." Rosa said as she wiped the tears away and kissed him. 

"The Space Elevator...all these people. Did you do this?" 

"The Refugees built this settlement and I pitched in to help...I'm so glad the Osean government allowed me to form a provisional government to help these people." 

"I-I guess all Oseans aren't evil..." Luca said.

"By the way..." Rosa giggled, "There's someone I want you to meet. Luca... this is Avril Mead. She's the one whose voice heard on that broadcast. If it weren't for her and her friends being there for me on Tyler Island... I wouldn't be here."

A brown-skinned woman with short black hair approached the couple and extended her hand for Luca to shake it. Instead, Luca hugged her as tightly as he could. 

"W-Well it's nice to meet you too!" Avril said.

"Thank you...thank you for keeping her safe!" Luca replied

"Don't mention it." Avril laughed, "By the way did you really fly with that old geezer?" 

"You mean Mihaly? Yeah...I did." He sighed and bowed his head, "Wherever he is...I hope he's at peace." 

"He's among the living and cranky as ever." Avril chuckled, "I wonder how you were able to deal with him." 

"Eh...he was actually an okay guy. His Granddaughters also kept him in check and when he chewed us out then a whole lotta Advil. Just kidding.." Luca laughed.

While Avril and Luca continued their conversation, Rosa gently tugged on his arm to try and get his attention. 

"What is it, Rosa? That's a very un-princess like thing to do ya know?" 

"I want to show you something..." Rosa replied, taking his hand. 

Rosa walked with Luca into the space elevators support facility where they saw a large painting with several figures of different cultures dancing in harmony with multiple space elevators in the background. Luca's hand began to shake and Rosa embraced him.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked

"President Harling commissioned this painting..." Rosa said. 

"It's beautiful...how could something that's supposed to be evil contain a painting like this? It doesn't look like the Oseans wanted to exploit or harm Erusea...they wanted to help us." 

"That was the case all along." Rosa replied, "We were lied to by those who wanted to force us into an endless war. But in the end...we managed to prevent it from continuing. If only I would've realized this sooner...saw that I was being manipulated." 

"Rosa...It's not your fault. We all succeeded in ending this pointless war and you...you and that Osean woman helped saved the lives of these refugees. We may have lost something close to us in this horrible conflict but in the end...maybe this is our victory...and now we can finally move forward and start a new chapter in our lives. How about it?"

"I'd love that..." Rosa giggled, "Let's get going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this fanfiction! At times it took a lot of thinking because I was trying my best to stay within the events of Ace Combat 7 given the limited screentime Sol Squadron actually had in the game.


End file.
